Recombinantly produced antibody

ABSTRACT

An antibody capable of potentiating immune responses and modifying existing states of immune responsiveness is described, as is the sequence of the antibody. Also described are compositions containing the antibody, as well as methods for using the antibody and the compositions to enhance immune responses, to enhance DC function, to modify an existing state of immune responsiveness, to immunize individuals, or to treat or inhibit conditions such as allergic asthma.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/608,390 filed May 29, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,188,238, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/983,104, filed on Nov. 5,2004, now abandoned.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to an antibody that can bind to and cross-linkB7-DC polypeptides on the surface of a cell. The invention also relatesto methods for using the B7-DC cross-linking antibody to modulate anexisting state of immune responsiveness, and to treat or inhibitdevelopment of allergic asthma.

BACKGROUND

Decavalent IgM antibodies display measurable binding avidity toantigens, even though binding affinity may be low. The multivalentstructure of pentameric IgM provides the potential for cross-linkingcell surface targets, endowing the soluble antibodies with biologicalpotential not normally associated with immune function.

Dendritic cells (DC) are efficient antigen-presenting cells (APC). Thesecells express class I and class II major histocompatibility complex(MHC) peptide-presenting molecules on their cell surfaces, along with aseries of costimulatory molecules (Banchereau and Steinman (1998) Nature392:245-252). Naïve T cells express receptors for these DC ligands.Following recognition of peptide-antigen presented in the context ofclass I or class II molecules, the structure of the T cell membrane isreorganized, bringing together the elements of the T cell receptor withother cell-surface molecules, including the co-receptors CD4 or CD8 andthe costimulatory receptors CD28 and CTLA-4 (Monks et al. (1998) Nature395:82-86; and Wulfing and Davis (1998) Science 282:2266-2269).Interactions within the newly formed macromolecular complexes determinethe outcome of inductive events transduced into T cells by DC.

DC reside in a variety of tissues and display distinct tissue-associatedphenotypes (Strunk et al. (1997) J. Exp. Med. 185:1131-1136; Caux et al.(1996) J. Exp. Med. 184:695-706; Wu et al. (1996) J. Exp. Med.184:903-911; and Vremec et al. (1992) J. Exp. Med. 176:47-58). Therelationships among the cell lineages of these different subsets ofcells are not firmly established. A large body of work has emergedfocusing on DC generated in vitro from bone marrow or blood precursors(Mayordomo et al. (1995) Nat. Med. 1:1297-1302; Nonacs et al. (1992) J.Exp. Med. 176:519-529; Steinman and Witmer (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA 75:5132-5136; and Young and Steinman (1990) J. Exp. Med.171:1315-1332). The cells generated in vitro express high levels ofclass I antigens and the series of costimulatory ligands associated withendogenous DC (Fagnoni et al. (1995) Immunology 85:467-474; andBanchereau et al. (2000) Annu. Rev. Immunol. 18:767-811). Importantly,they are able to efficiently activate naïve T cells, a function that isthe signature of the DC.

Asthma is primarily a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Thisprimary inflammation causes two secondary symptoms: (a) overly reactivebronchi that are more sensitive to various asthma triggers such asallergens, cold and dry air, smoke and viruses, and (b) airflowobstruction (i.e., difficulty moving air in and out of the lungs). Thesesymptoms are typically manifested by coughing, wheezing, shortness ofbreath or rapid breathing, and chest tightness.

Allergic asthma is the most common form of asthma. Many of the symptomsof allergic and non-allergic asthma are the same. Allergic asthma istriggered by inhaling allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, pollens,or mold. Through a complex reaction, these allergens then cause thepassages in the airways of the lungs to become inflamed and swollen,resulting in asthma symptoms.

Allergic asthma is characterized by pulmonary inflammatory infiltrationand hyperreactivity to variety of lung irritants and stimuli such asmethacholine. The hallmark of allergic asthma is abnormal expansion ofTh2 cells in the lungs (Wills-Karp (1999) Annu. Rev. Immunol.17:255-281; and Ray and Cohn (1999) J. Clin. Invest. 104:985-993). DCact as the major antigen presenting cells to naïve T cells in lymphoidorgans (Steinman (1991) Annu. Rev. Immunol. 9:271-296). DC are presentin the respiratory tract, and upon isolation from the trachea, bronchi,alveoli and visceral pleura, they are capable of antigen presentation toT cells (Holt and Schon-Hegrad (1987) Immunol. 62:349-356; and Sertl etal. (1986) J. Exp. Med. 163:436-451). In addition, it has beendemonstrated using an ovalbumin (OVA) model of allergic asthma thatpulmonary DC prime T cells, inducing a Th2 phenotype. Treatment of micewith GM-CSF modulated this effect toward a Th1 polarity, with anaccompanying increase in message for IL-12 (Stumbles et al. (1998) J.Exp. Med. 188:2019-2031).

SUMMARY

The invention is based on the discovery that a human B7-DC cross-linkingmolecule such as an antibody, for example, can modulate the immuneresponse in an in vivo model of allergic airway inflammation. Treatmentof mice with an antibody designated sHIgM12 just prior to and at thesame time as OVA sensitization significantly attenuated the immuneresponse. In addition, sHIgM12 treatment protected mice from allergicsymptoms even when administered after hypersensitization. Moreover, thepolarity of T cells isolated from the spleens of therapeutically treatedmice was changed from strong Th2 to weak Th1. Thus, treatment with theB7-DC cross-linking antibody sHIgM12 protected mice in both prophylacticand therapeutic settings in the murine model of allergic airwayinflammation. As such, the invention provides polypeptides having aminoacid sequences that are similar or identical to the amino acid sequenceof the sHIgM12 antibody. The invention also provides nucleic acidmolecules encoding polypeptides that have amino acid sequences similaror identical to the amino acid sequence of sHIgM12. In addition, theinvention provides methods for both treating and reducing development ofallergic asthma. Methods of the invention also can be useful to treat orreduce development of other conditions involving a pathological immuneresponse (e.g., irritable bowel disease or multiple sclerosis).

In one aspect, the invention features a purified polypeptide containingan amino acid sequence that is between 80.0% and 99.9% identical to theamino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8. The aminoacid sequence can be at least 95.0% (e.g., 99.1% or 99.2%) identical tothe amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8. Thepurified polypeptide can further contain an amino acid sequence that isat least 80.0% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ IDNO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:12.

In another aspect, the invention features an isolated nucleic acidencoding a polypeptide that comprises an amino acid sequence that isbetween 80.0% and 99.9% identical to the amino acid sequence set forthin SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8. The amino acid sequence can be at least95.0% (e.g., 99.1% or 99.2%) identical to the amino acid sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8. The encoded polypeptide can furthercontain an amino acid sequence that is between 80.0% and 99.9% identicalto the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ IDNO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:12.

In another aspect, the invention features a composition containing apolypeptide and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein thepolypeptide contains an amino acid sequence that is between 80.0% and99.9% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 orSEQ ID NO:8. The polypeptide can further contain an amino acid sequencethat is between 80.0% and 99.9% identical to the amino acid sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ IDNO:12.

In still another aspect, the invention features a composition containinga nucleic acid molecule and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier,wherein the nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide containing an amino acidsequence that is between 80% and 99.9% identical to the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8. The encodedpolypeptide can further contain an amino acid sequence that is between80.0% and 99.9% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ IDNO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:12.

In another aspect, the invention features an isolated nucleic acidmolecule containing a nucleotide sequence that is between 80.0% and99.9% identical to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 13 orSEQ ID NO: 14. The nucleotide sequence can be at least 98.0% identical(e.g., at least 99% identical) to the nucleotide sequence set forth inSEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:14.

The invention also features a method for treating allergic asthma in amammal in need thereof. The method can include administering to themammal an effective amount of a composition containing a B7-DCcross-linking molecule. The B7-DC cross-linking molecule can be anantibody (e.g., an antibody that recognizes a B7-DC epitope having aglycosylation site, or sHIgM12). The composition can further contain apharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The method can further include thestep of monitoring the mammal for a symptom of asthma, such as airwayhyperreactivity, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, rapidbreathing, chest tightness, reduced airflow, reduced airway capacity,increased cellular infiltration of the lungs, or eosinophil migration tothe lungs.

In another aspect, the invention features a method for inhibitingdevelopment of allergic asthma in a mammal. The method can includeadministering to the mammal an effective amount of a compositioncontaining a B7-DC cross-linking molecule. The B7-DC cross-linkingmolecule can be an antibody (e.g., an antibody that recognizes a B7-DCepitope having a glycosylation site, or sHIgM12). The composition canfurther contain a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The method canfurther include the step of monitoring the mammal for a symptom ofasthma, such as airway hyperreactivity, coughing, wheezing, shortness ofbreath, rapid breathing, chest tightness, reduced airflow, reducedairway capacity, increased cellular infiltration of the lungs, oreosinophil migration to the lungs.

In another aspect, the invention features a method for inhibiting a Th2response in a mammal. The method can include administering to the mammalan effective amount of a composition containing a B7-DC cross-linkingmolecule. The B7-DC cross-linking molecule can be an antibody (e.g., anantibody that recognizes a B7-DC epitope comprising a glycosylationsite, or sHIgM12). The composition can further contain apharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The method can further include thestep of monitoring the mammal for a Th2 response (e.g., by measuring thelevel of IL-4 or IL-5).

In still another aspect, the invention features a method for modulatinga state of immune responsiveness in a mammal. The method can includeadministering to the mammal an effective amount of a compositioncontaining a B7-DC cross-linking molecule. The B7-DC cross-linkingmolecule can be an antibody (e.g., an antibody that recognizes a B7-DCepitope having a glycosylation site, or sHIgM12). The composition canfurther contain a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

The invention also features a method for modifying dendritic cellfunction in a mammal. The method can include administering to the mammalan effective amount of a composition containing a B7-DC cross-linkingmolecule. The B7-DC cross-linking molecule can be an antibody (e.g., anantibody that recognizes a B7-DC epitope having a glycosylation site, orsHIgM12). The composition can further contain a pharmaceuticallyacceptable carrier.

In another aspect, the invention features a recombinantly producedpolypeptide that binds specifically to B7-DC molecules on a cell,wherein the binding results in cross-linking of a plurality of the B7-DCmolecules. The recombinantly produced polypeptide can be an antibody(e.g., an antibody that recognizes a B7-DC epitope having aglycosylation site, or sHIgM12). The recombinantly produced polypeptidecan modulate dendritic cell function when administered to a mammal.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this invention pertains. Although methods and materialssimilar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practicethe invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. Allpublications, patent applications, patents, and other referencesmentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Incase of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, willcontrol. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples areillustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a series of fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) plotsshowing the staining of bone marrow-derived murine DC with sHIgM12 orpolyclonal human IgM as indicated (upper panels), followed byfluorescein isothiocyanate- (FITC-) conjugated I-human IgM. Cells alsowere costained with phycoerythrin- (PE-) conjugated I-CD11c. The lowerpanels show staining with antibodies against typical DC surface markers,including MHC class II and CD86.

FIG. 2A and 2B are line graphs showing the effect of sHIgM12-treated,antigen-pulsed DC on incorporation of 3H-thymidine into T cells, anindicator of proliferation. FIG. 2A shows the MHC class I-restricted Tcell response to DC treated with sHIgM12 (filled circles) or controlpolyclonal human IgM control (HIgM; open circles). FIG. 2B shows the MHCclass II-restricted T cell response to DC treated with sHIgM12 (filledcircles) or control polyclonal HIgM (open circles).

FIG. 3 is a line graph showing the effect of sHIgM12 treated,antigen-pulsed DC on in vivo T cell priming. Mouse DC were pulsed withOVA and treated with sHIgM12 (open circles) or polyclonal HIgM control(closed circles) prior to adoptive transfer. The data depict levels of3H incorporation into splenocytes that were harvested 7 days afteradoptive transfer and treated with titrating doses of OVA.

FIG. 4A is a histogram showing amounts of DC staining by sHIgM12 (grayfilled histogram), polyclonal HIgM control (black filled histogram), andmonomeric sHIgM12 (thick black line outlining unfilled histogram). FIG.4B is a line graph showing levels of activation of naïve OT-1splenocytes by DC treated with pentameric sHIgM12 (filled circles),polyclonal HIgM control (open circles), monomeric sHIgM12 (opensquares), and monomeric sHIgM12 followed by pentameric sHIgM12 (opentriangles).

FIG. 5A is a histogram showing levels of sHIgM12 staining of DC (grayhistogram) or DC preincubated with PD-1.Ig (unshaded histogram). Acontrol antibody (black histogram) did not stain the cells. FIG. 5B is ahistogram of the reciprocal experiment, showing PD-1.Ig staining of DC(gray histogram) or DC preincubated with sHIgM12 (unshaded histogram).

FIG. 6A is a column graph showing levels of DC metabolism before andafter cytokine withdrawal from untreated cells and cells treated witheither sHIgM12 or a control antibody as indicated. FIG. 6B is a columngraph showing levels of DC metabolism before and after cytokinewithdrawal from untreated cells and cells treated with eitherimmobilized PD-1.Ig, sHIgM12, or a control antibody as indicated.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the immune response of splenocytes isolatedfrom mice that were pre-treated with sHIgM12 (filled circles) orpolyclonal HIgM control (open circles) and immunized with OVA. Afterisolation, the splenocytes were restimulated in vitro with OVA.

FIGS. 8A-8F are a series of flow cytometry plots showing the staining ofcells from draining lymph nodes from mice that were treated withsHIgM12, an isotype matched control antibody, or an antibody specificfor CD40 and then injected with FITC labeled OVA. Cells were labeled forthe DC marker CD11c (shown on the Y-axis). The X-axis represents theamount of FITC acquired by the lymph node cells. Lymph node cells wereanalyzed from C57BL/6 mice treated with sHIgM39 (FIG. 8A); C57BL/6 micetreated with sHIgM12 (FIG. 8B); C57BL/6 mice treated as in panel B,except also receiving the B7-DC specific antibody TY-25 (FIG. 8C); B7-DCknockout mice treated with sHIgM12 (FIG. 8D); B7-DC knockout micetreated with the anti-CD 40 antibody HM40-3 (FIG. 8E); and C57BL/6 micetreated with the anti-CD40 antibody (FIG. 8F).

FIG. 9 is a graph showing antibody responses to B16 melanoma in micetreated with polyclonal human IgM control antibody (open circles) orsHIgM12 B7-DC cross-linking antibody (closed circles). Antibodies inserial dilutions of sera from the animals were evaluated by flowcytometry for their ability to bind to B16 melanoma cells. Data isrepresented as mean fluorescent intensity (MFI). n=5 mice per group.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing levels of tumor specific cytotoxic Tlymphocyte (CTL) induction in B16 tumor-bearing mice treated withsHIgM12 or with pHIgM control. Filled circles represent the averageresponse of effector cells from sHIgM12 treated mice against B16melanoma cells, while open circles represent the responses of effectorcells from pHIgM treated mice. Open triangles and open squares representthe responses of effector cells from pHIgM treated mice or sHIgM12treated mice, respectively, against EL-4 target cells.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing the number of tumor nodules in the lungs ofmice injected with a B16-F10 cell suspension and then treated with pHIgMcontrol or sHIgM12. p<0.001. n=8 per treatment group.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the number of lung nodules in wild type orCD8 deficient mice that were injected with B16-F10 cells and treatedwith sHIgM12 or pHIgM control antibody, with or without treatment withan NK cell depleting antibody prior to injection of B16-F10 cells. Datarepresent the number of nodules from 5 to 7 mice in each group. Datawere analyzed using rank-sum methods, and pair-wise comparisons areshown. In addition, p<0.001 for animals receiving sHIgM12 vs. thosereceiving sHIgM12 and the NK1.1 NK depleting antibody.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing the mean number of lung nodules in wild typemice or perforin deficient mice that were injected with B16-F10 cellsand treated with sHIgM12 or pHIgM control antibody. Data represent themean number of nodules in the lungs of 4 mice in the wild type (WT) orperforin-dependent (PFP^(−/−)), control antibody treated (pHIgM) orB7-DC cross-linking antibody treated (sHIgM12) groups. N=4 in all groupsexcept for the wild type, sHIgM12 treated group, where n=6.

FIG. 14 is a map of an expression vector that can be used to produceantibodies.

FIG. 15A is a timeline depicting the prophylactic regimen used in theexperiments described herein. FIG. 15B is a timeline depicting thetherapeutic regimen used in the experiments described herein.

FIG. 16A is a graph plotting airway hyperreactivity (AHR) as measured byPENH in response to methacholine challenge of mice that received eitherthe isotype control polyclonal IgM antibody (open circles) or the B7-DCcross-linking antibody sHIgM12 (filled circles). Data represent asmean±SEM, and n=10 per group. FIG. 16B is a graph plotting the number ofcells present in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid after methacholinechallenge of mice that received either the control antibody or sHIgM12as indicated. Data represent as mean±SEM, and n=10/group. FIG. 16C is agraph plotting the percentage of eosinophils with respect to the totalnumber of cells counted in BAL fluid obtained after methacholinechallenge of mice that received either the control antibody or sHIgM12as indicated. FIG. 16D is a graph plotting the level of IL-5 in BALfluid obtained after methacholine challenge of mice that received eitherthe control antibody or sHIgM12 as indicated. Data represent asmean±SEM, and n=10/group.

FIG. 17A is a graph plotting AHR as measured by PENH in response tomethacholine challenge of mice that received either the isotype controlpolyclonal IgM antibody (open circles) or the B7-DC cross-linkingantibody sHIgM12 (filled circles) 13 days after administration ofantigen or of normal mice (filled triangles). Data represent mean±SEM,and n=5 per group. FIG. 17B is a graph plotting the number of cells inBAL fluid after methacholine challenge of normal mice and mice thatreceived either PBS, control antibody, or sHIgM12 as indicated. Datarepresent mean±SEM. n=5 in the antibody treated groups. n=3 in normaland PBS treated groups. FIG. 17C is a graph plotting the percentage ofeosinophils with respect to the total number of cells counted in BALfluid obtained after methacholine challenge of normal mice and mice thatreceived either PBS, control antibody, or sHIgM12 as indicated. FIG. 17Dis a graph plotting the levels of IL-4 in the lungs of methacholinechallenged normal mice and mice that received either PBS, controlantibody, or sHIgM12 as indicated. FIG. 17E is a graph plotting thelevels of IFN-γ in the lungs of methacholine challenged normal mice andmice that received either PBS, control antibody, or sHIgM12 asindicated. Data represent mean±SEM. n=5 for antibody treated groups. n=3for normal or PBS treated groups.

FIG. 18A is a graph plotting proliferation of splenocytes as measured byincorporation of ³[H]-thymidine into cells that were harvested fromcontrol (open circles) or sHIgM12 (filled circles) treated mice andstimulated in vitro with titrating amounts of OVA protein. Datarepresent mean±SEM, and n=5. FIGS. 18B-18F are graphs plotting thelevels of cytokine production by splenocytes that were harvested fromthe two groups of mice and restimulated in vitro with OVA. Datarepresent mean±SEM, and n=5. FIG. 18B shows IFN-γ levels, FIG. 18C showsTNF-α levels, FIG. 18D shows IL-4 levels, FIG. 18E shows IL-5 levels,and FIG. 18F shows IL-10 levels.

FIG. 19A shows the amino acid sequences of the variable (Vk) andconstant (Ck) domains (SEQ ID NOS:6 and 7, respectively) of the sHIgM12light chain. FIG. 19B shows the amino acid sequences of the variable(Vh) and constant (CH1, CH2, CH3, CH4) domains (SEQ ID NOS:8, 9, 10, 11,and 12, respectively) of the sHIgM12 heavy chain.

FIG. 20 shows nucleic acid sequences that encode the Vk and Vh domains(SEQ ID NOS:13 and 14, respectively) of sHIgM12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described herein, a human IgM monoclonal antibody has been shown tobind to both human and murine DC in a B7-DC (PD-L2) dependent manner.This binding can result in (i) potentiation of the antigen presentingability of the DC as seen by the ability to activate OT-I TCR transgenicT cells; (ii) increase in survival of the treated DC upon cytokinewithdrawal; (iii) secretion of IL-12; and (iv) homing and/or survival ofDC resulting in increased numbers reaching the draining lymph nodes. Amonomeric form of the antibody (sHIgM12) was not able to potentiate theimmune response, and actually inhibited the activity of an intactpentameric antibody. Thus, the targeted determinants on the surface ofthe DC may be activated by cross-linking.

The invention is based on the discovery that sHIgM12 also can modulatethe immune response in an in vivo model of allergic airway inflammation.As described herein, treatment of mice with sHIgM12 just prior to and atthe same time as OVA sensitization significantly attenuated the immuneresponse. In addition, sHIgM12 treatment protected mice from allergicsymptoms even when administered 14 days after hypersensitization. Thus,the invention provides polypeptides containing an amino acid sequencethat is similar or identical to an amino acid sequence present withinthe sHIgM12 antibody. The invention also provides nucleic acid moleculesencoding polypeptides that contain an amino acid sequence similar oridentical to the amino acid sequence of the sHIgM12 antibody. Inaddition, the invention provides prophylactic and therapeutic methodsfor using a B7-DC cross-linking molecule such as sHIgM12 to alleviateallergic asthma. Further, the invention provides methods for inhibitinga Th2 response in a mammal.

1. B7-DC Cross-Linking Molecules

The invention provides molecules that bind specifically to B7-DCpolypeptides. Such molecules can bind simultaneously to a plurality ofB7-DC polypeptides (i.e., one such molecule can bind to more than oneB7-DC polypeptide at the same time). Molecules provided herein thus caneffectively cross-link a plurality of B7-DC polypeptides. Thesemolecules typically are polypeptides, and antibodies can be particularlyuseful (see below), but other multivalent molecules that can bind andcross-link B7-DC on the surface of cells also can function in thiscapacity. Examples of such molecules include, without limitation,multivalent RNA or DNA aptamers. Aptamers typically are single-strandedDNA and RNA molecules that, like antibodies, can bind target moleculeswith affinity and specificity. Although nucleic acids are commonlythought of as linear molecules, they actually can take on complex,sequence-dependent, three-dimensional shapes. When the resulting shapesinteract with a target protein, the result can be a tightly boundcomplex analogous to an antibody-antigen interaction. Aptamers can bemodified to resist nuclease digestion, for example, or to enhance theirtherapeutic usefulness (e.g., to remain in the bloodstream longer, or tobe stable in serum).

Molecules provided herein can bind specifically to cells through B7-DCpolypeptides that are present on the cell surface. As used herein,“binds specifically to B7-DC” means that a molecule binds preferentiallyto B7-DC and does not display significant binding to other cell surfacepolypeptides (e.g., substantially less, or no, detectable binding toother cell surface polypeptides). As disclosed below, a polypeptide isan amino acid chain, regardless of post-translational modification.Thus, a molecule that binds specifically to a B7-DC polypeptide can“recognize” the B7-DC amino acid sequence or a portion thereof, apost-translational modification of B7-DC (e.g., one or more glycosylatedor phosphorylated positions within the B7-DC amino acid sequence), or acombination thereof. Molecules (e.g., antibodies or polypeptides) can betested for recognition of B7-DC using standard immunoassay methods,including FACS, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), andradioimmuno assay (RIA). See, e.g., Short Protocols in MolecularBiology, eds. Ausubel et al., Green Publishing Associates and John Wiley& Sons (1992).

B7-DC is a cell surface polypeptide that can be found on, for example,DC, activated macrophages, and some tumor cells (e.g., glioma tumorcells). Molecules provided herein can bind to B7-DC on the surface of DCin a mammal (e.g., a human) and potentiate an immune response. As usedherein, the term “potentiate an immune response” encompasses enhancementof DC function and increased activation of naïve T cells. Enhanced DCfunction includes components such as prolonged longevity of DC, whichcan be detected based on increased expression of NF-κB and increasedtranslocation of NF-κB to the nucleus. Other components of enhanced DCfunction include an increased ability of DC to activate naïve T cells,increased localization of DC to the lymph nodes, increasedphosphorylation of Akt (also known as protein kinase B) within DC, andincreased secretion of cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-12,RANTES, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) by DC. Moleculesprovided by the invention also can enhance the metabolism of DC upon thewithdrawal of cytokines from DC in culture. The molecules describedherein can be administered to a mammal (e.g., a human) in order toenhance DC function and potentiate an immune response that can includeany or all of the above-listed components. Such molecules also can beused to contact and activate DC in vitro.

Potentiation of an immune response can be measured by assessing any ofthe components listed above. Secretion of cytokines such as IL-12 can bemeasured, for example, by an enzyme linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assayas described in the Examples (below). Activation of naïve T cells can beassayed by, for example, measuring the incorporation of ³H-thymidineinto newly synthesized DNA in proliferating cells, measuring inductionof cytolytic T cell activity, or by detecting T cell activation markerssuch as CD44 and/or CD69. Expression or translocation of NF-κB can bemeasured by, for example, cell staining with an antibody against NF-κB.Increased phosphorylation of Akt can be assessed by, for example,western blotting with an antibody against phosphorylated Akt. Antibodiesagainst NF-κB and phosphorylated Akt are available from, for example,Cell Signaling Technologies, Inc. (Beverly, Mass.). Methods formeasuring the other components encompassed by enhanced DC function andimmunopotentiation also are described herein.

The molecules provided by the invention typically are purified. The term“purified” as used herein refers to a molecule that has been separatedor isolated from other cellular components by which it is naturallyaccompanied (e.g., other cellular proteins, polynucleotides, or cellularcomponents), or separated from most or all other components present in areaction mixture when the molecule is synthesized in vitro. “Purified”as used herein also encompasses molecules that are partially purified,so that at least some of the components by which the molecule isaccompanied are removed. Typically, a molecule is considered “purified”when it is at least 50% (e.g., 55%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 99%), bydry weight, free from the proteins and other organic molecules orcomponents with which it naturally associates or with which it isaccompanied in a synthesis reaction.

Aptamers can be initially selected for specific binding activities froma starting pool of nucleic acids using, for example, methods known inthe art. Variants can be obtained during subsequent rounds ofamplification. An aptamer can be considered purified when it is at least50% free from the other nucleic acids in the pool from which it isisolated.

2. Polypeptides and Antibodies

Molecules provided by the invention can be polypeptides. As used herein,a polypeptide is an amino acid chain, regardless of length orpost-translational modification (e.g., phosphorylation orglycosylation). The polypeptides provided herein can bind specificallyto B7-DC, and upon administration to a mammal (e.g., a human), canenhance DC function and potentiate an immune response. Polypeptides ofthe invention also can enhance DC function when incubated in vitro withDC.

The polypeptides featured herein can contain an amino acid sequence thatis similar or identical to the amino sequence of sHIgM12. For example, apolypeptide can contain an amino acid sequence that is at least 80.0%identical (e.g., 80.0%, 85.0%, 90.0%, 95.0%, 97.0%, 97.5%, 98.0%, 98.5%,99.0%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, or 99.9%identical) to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO 6 or SEQ IDNO:8. In some embodiments, a polypeptide can further contain an aminoacid sequence that is at least 80.0% identical (e.g., 80.0%, 85.0%,90.0%, 95.0%, 97.0%, 97.5%, 98.0%, 98.5%, 99.0%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%,99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, or 99.9% identical) to the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ IDNO:11, or SEQ ID NO:12. Percent sequence identity is calculated bydetermining the number of matched positions in aligned nucleic acidsequences, dividing the number of matched positions by the total numberof aligned nucleotides, and multiplying by 100. A matched positionrefers to a position in which identical nucleotides occur at the sameposition in aligned nucleic acid sequences. Percent sequence identityalso can be determined for any amino acid sequence.

To determine percent sequence identity, a target nucleic acid or aminoacid sequence is compared to the identified nucleic acid or amino acidsequence using the BLAST 2 Sequences (Bl2seq) program from thestand-alone version of BLASTZ containing BLASTN version 2.0.14 andBLASTP version 2.0.14. This stand-alone version of BLASTZ can beobtained from Fish & Richardson's web site (World Wide Web at “fr” dot“com” slash “blast”) or the U.S. government's National Center forBiotechnology Information web site (World Wide Web at “ncbi” dot “nlm”dot “nih” dot “gov”). Instructions explaining how to use the Bl2seqprogram can be found in the readme file accompanying BLASTZ.

Bl2seq performs a comparison between two sequences using either theBLASTN or BLASTP algorithm. BLASTN is used to compare nucleic acidsequences, while BLASTP is used to compare amino acid sequences. Tocompare two nucleic acid sequences, the options are set as follows: -iis set to a file containing the first nucleic acid sequence to becompared (e.g., C:\seq1.txt); -j is set to a file containing the secondnucleic acid sequence to be compared (e.g., C:\seq2.txt); -p is set toblastn; -o is set to any desired file name (e.g., C:\output.txt); -q isset to −1; -r is set to 2; and all other options are left at theirdefault setting. For example, the following command can be used togenerate an output file containing a comparison between two sequences:C:\Bl2seq-i c:\seq1.txt-j c:\seq2.txt-p blastn-o c:\output.txt-q−1-r 2.To compare two amino acid sequences, the options of Bl2seq are set asfollows: -i is set to a file containing the first amino acid sequence tobe compared (e.g., C:\seq1.txt); -j is set to a file containing thesecond amino acid sequence to be compared (e.g., C:\seq2.txt); -p is setto blastp; -o is set to any desired file name (e.g., C:\output.txt); andall other options are left at their default setting. For example, thefollowing command can be used to generate an output file containing acomparison between two amino acid sequences: C:\Bl2seq-i c:\seq1.txt-jc:\seq2.txt-p blastp-o c:\output.txt. If the two compared sequencesshare homology, then the designated output file will present thoseregions of homology as aligned sequences. If the two compared sequencesdo not share homology, then the designated output file will not presentaligned sequences.

Once aligned, the number of matches is determined by counting the numberof positions where an identical nucleotide or amino acid residue ispresented in both sequences. The percent sequence identity is determinedby dividing the number of matches either by the length of the sequenceset forth in the identified sequence (e.g., SEQ ID NO:6), or by anarticulated length (e.g., 100 consecutive nucleotides or amino acidresidues from a sequence set forth in an identified sequence), followedby multiplying the resulting value by 100. For example, a nucleic acidsequence that has 98 matches when aligned with the sequence set forth inSEQ ID NO:6 is 92.5 percent identical to the sequence set forth in SEQID NO:6 (i.e., 98÷106*100=92.5). It is noted that the percent sequenceidentity value is rounded to the nearest tenth. For example, 75.11,75.12, 75.13, and 75.14 is rounded down to 75.1, while 75.15, 75.16,75.17, 75.18, and 75.19 is rounded up to 75.2. It is also noted that thelength value will always be an integer.

The amino acid sequences of the polypeptides provided herein can havesubstitutions, deletions, or additions with respect to the amino acidsequences set forth in SEQ ID NOS:6 and 8. A polypeptide having an aminoacid sequence that is modified (e.g., by substitution) with respect toSEQ ID NO:6 and/or SEQ ID NO:8 can have substantially the same orimproved qualities as compared to a polypeptide containing the aminoacid sequence identical to that set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ IDNO:8. A substitution can be a conserved substitution. As used herein, a“conserved substitution” is a substitution of an amino acid with anotheramino acid having a similar side chain. A conserved substitutiontypically can be a substitution with an amino acid that makes thesmallest change possible in the charge of the amino acid or size of theside chain of the amino acid (alternatively, in the size, charge or kindof chemical group within the side chain) such that the overall peptideessentially retains its spatial conformation but has altered biologicalactivity. Examples of conserved changes include, without limitation, Aspto Glu, Asn or Gln; His to Lys, Arg or Phe; Asn to Gln, Asp or Glu, andSer to Cys, Thr or Gly. Alanine is commonly used to substitute for otheramino acids. The 20 essential amino acids can be grouped as follows:alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, proline, phenylalanine, tryptophanand methionine having nonpolar side chains; glycine, serine, threonine,cysteine, tyrosine, asparagine and glutamine having uncharged polar sidechains; aspartate and glutamate having acidic side chains; and lysine,arginine, and histidine having basic side chains (see, e.g., Stryer,Biochemistry (2^(nd) edition) W. H. Freeman and Co. San Francisco(1981), pp. 14-15; and Lehninger, Biochemistry (2^(nd) edition, 1975),pp. 73-75). Conservative substitutions can include substitutions madewithin these groups.

PD-1 is a polypeptide that is a natural receptor for B7-DC. PD-1 can beimmobilized on a solid substrate (e.g., a plastic dish or a glassmicroscope slide). Upon incubation with DC, immobilized PD-1 cancross-link a plurality of B7-DC polypeptides on the cell surface andenhance the function of the DC. Incubation of cultured DC withimmobilized PD-1 can, for example, maintain the metabolic rate of thecells upon removal of cytokines from the culture medium, as compared tothe metabolic rate of DC that are not incubated with PD-1 (see Example7).

Molecules provided herein can be antibodies that have specific bindingactivity for B7-DC. The terms “antibody” and “antibodies” encompassintact molecules as well as fragments thereof that are capable ofbinding to B7-DC. Antibodies can be polyclonal antibodies, monoclonalantibodies, humanized or chimeric antibodies, single chain Fv antibodyfragments, Fab fragments, and F(ab)₂ fragments. Polyclonal antibodiesare heterogeneous populations of antibody molecules that are specificfor a particular antigen, while monoclonal antibodies are homogeneouspopulations of antibodies to a particular epitope contained within anantigen.

An antibody can be of any immunoglobulin (Ig) class, including IgM, IgA,IgD, IgE, and IgG, and any subclass thereof. Antibodies of the IgM class(e.g., sHIgM12) typically are pentavalent and are particularly usefulbecause one antibody molecule can cross-link a plurality of B7-DCpolypeptides. Immune complexes containing Ig molecules that arecross-linked (e.g., cross-linked IgG) and are thus multivalent also arecapable of cross-linking a plurality of B7-DC molecules, and can beparticularly useful.

As used herein, an “epitope” is a portion of an antigenic molecule towhich an antibody binds. Antigens can present more than one epitope atthe same time. For polypeptide antigens, an epitope typically is aboutfour to six amino acids in length, and can include modified (e.g.,phosphorylated or glycosylated) amino acids. Two differentimmunoglobulins can have the same epitope specificity if they bind tothe same epitope or set of epitopes.

Polyclonal antibodies are contained in the sera of immunized animals.Monoclonal antibodies can be prepared using, for example, standardhybridoma technology. In particular, monoclonal antibodies can beobtained by any technique that provides for the production of antibodymolecules by continuous cell lines in culture as described, for example,by Kohler et al. (1975) Nature 256:495-497, the human B-cell hybridomatechnique of Kosbor et al. (1983) Immunology Today 4:72, and Cote et al.(1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80:2026-2030, and the EBV-hybridomatechnique of Cole et al., Monoclonal Antibodies and Cancer Therapy, AlanR. Liss, Inc. pp. 77-96 (1983). A hybridoma producing monoclonalantibodies of the invention can be cultivated in vitro or in vivo.

Antibodies of the invention also can be isolated from, for example, theserum of an individual. The sHIgM12 antibody, for example, was isolatedfrom human serum as described in Example 1 herein. Suitable methods forisolation include purification from mammalian serum using techniquesthat include, for example, chromatography.

Antibodies that bind to B7-DC also can be produced by, for example,immunizing host animals (e.g., rabbits, chickens, mice, guinea pigs, orrats) with B7-DC. A B7-DC polypeptide or a portion of a B7-DCpolypeptide can be produced recombinantly, by chemical synthesis, or bypurification of the native protein, and then used to immunize animals byinjection of the polypeptide. Adjuvants can be used to increase theimmunological response, depending on the host species. Suitableadjuvants include Freund's adjuvant (complete and incomplete), mineralgels such as aluminum hydroxide, surface active substances such aslysolecithin, pluronic polyols, polyanions, peptides, oil emulsions,keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and dinitrophenol. Standard techniquescan be used to isolate antibodies generated in response to the B7-DCimmunogen from the sera of the host animals. Such techniques are usefulfor generating antibodies that have similar characteristics to sHIgM12(e.g., similar epitope specificity and other functional similarities).

Antibodies such as sHIgM12 also can be produced recombinantly. The aminoacid sequence (e.g., the partial amino acid sequence) of an antibodyprovided herein can be determined by standard techniques, and a cDNAencoding the antibody or a portion of the antibody can be isolated fromthe serum of the subject (e.g., the human patient or the immunized hostanimal) from which the antibody was originally isolated. The cDNA can becloned into an expression vector using standard techniques. Theexpression vector then can be transfected into an appropriate host cell(e.g., a Chinese hamster ovary cell, a COS cell, or a hybridoma cell),and the antibody can be expressed and purified. See, for example,Example 14 herein.

Antibody fragments that have specific binding affinity for B7-DC andretain cross-linking function also can be generated by techniques suchas those disclosed above. Such antibody fragments include, but are notlimited to, F(ab′)₂ fragments that can be produced by pepsin digestionof an antibody molecule, and Fab fragments that can be generated byreducing the disulfide bridges of F(ab′)₂ fragments. Alternatively, Fabexpression libraries can be constructed. See, for example, Huse et al.(1989) Science 246:1275-1281. Single chain Fv antibody fragments areformed by linking the heavy and light chain fragments of the Fv regionvia an amino acid bridge (e.g., 15 to 18 amino acids), resulting in asingle chain polypeptide. Single chain Fv antibody fragments can beproduced through standard techniques, such as those disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 4,946,778. Such fragments can be rendered multivalent by, forexample, biotinylation and cross-linking, thus generating antibodyfragments that can cross-link a plurality of B7-DC polypeptides.

3. Nucleic Acids, Vectors, and Host Cells

The invention provides nucleic acids encoding molecules (e.g.,polypeptides and antibodies such as those described herein) that bindspecifically to B7-DC. As used herein, the term “nucleic acid” refers toboth RNA and DNA, including cDNA, genomic DNA, and synthetic (e.g.,chemically synthesized) DNA. A nucleic acid molecule can bedouble-stranded or single-stranded (i.e., a sense or an antisense singlestrand). Nucleic acids of the invention include, for example, cDNAsencoding the light and heavy chains of the sHIgM12 antibody.

An “isolated nucleic acid” refers to a nucleic acid that is separatedfrom other nucleic acid molecules that normally flank one or both sidesof the nucleic acid in the genome in which it is normally found. Theterm “isolated” as used herein with respect to nucleic acids alsoincludes any non-naturally-occurring nucleic acid sequence, since suchnon-naturally-occurring sequences are not found in nature and do nothave immediately contiguous sequences in a naturally-occurring genome.

An isolated nucleic acid can be, for example, a DNA molecule, providedone of the nucleic acid sequences normally found immediately flankingthat DNA molecule in its naturally-occurring genome is removed orabsent. Thus, an isolated nucleic acid includes, without limitation, aDNA molecule that exists as a separate molecule (e.g., a chemicallysynthesized nucleic acid, or a cDNA or genomic DNA fragment produced byPCR or restriction endonuclease treatment) independent of othersequences as well as DNA that is incorporated into a vector, anautonomously replicating plasmid, a virus (e.g., a retrovirus,lentivirus, adenovirus, or herpes virus), or into the genomic DNA of aprokaryote or eukaryote. In addition, an isolated nucleic acid caninclude an engineered nucleic acid such as a DNA molecule that is partof a hybrid or fusion nucleic acid. A nucleic acid existing amonghundreds to millions of other nucleic acids within, for example, cDNAlibraries or genomic libraries, or gel slices containing a genomic DNArestriction digest, is not considered an isolated nucleic acid.

The isolated nucleic acids disclosed herein can encode polypeptidesprovided by the invention. For example, an isolated nucleic acid canencode a polypeptide containing an amino acid sequence that is similaror identical to an amino acid sequence found in the variable or constantregions of sHIgM12. In one embodiment, a nucleic acid can encode apolypeptide containing an amino acid sequence that is at least 80.0%(e.g., 80.0%, 85.0%, 90.0%, 95.0%, 97.0%, 97.5%, 98.0%, 98.5%, 99.0%,99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, or 99.9%)identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ IDNO:8. The encoded polypeptide can further contain an amino acid sequencethat is at least 80.0% (e.g., 80.0%, 85.0%, 90.0%, 95.0%, 97.0%, 97.5%,98.0%, 98.5%, 99.0%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%, 99.6%, 99.7%,99.8%, or 99.9%) identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11, or SEQ ID NO:12. Inanother embodiment, an isolated nucleic acid can contain a nucleotidesequence that is at least 80.0% (e.g., 80.0%, 85.0%, 90.0%, 95.0%,97.0%, 97.5%, 98.0%, 98.5%, 99.0%, 99.1%, 99.2%, 99.3%, 99.4%, 99.5%,99.6%, 99.7%, 99.8%, or 99.9%) identical to the nucleotide sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:14. The method for determiningpercent sequence identity is provided herein.

The isolated nucleic acid molecules provided herein can be produced bystandard techniques, including, without limitation, common molecularcloning and chemical nucleic acid synthesis techniques. For example,polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques can be used to obtain anisolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an antibody such as sHIgM12.Isolated nucleic acids of the invention also can be chemicallysynthesized, either as a single nucleic acid molecule (e.g., usingautomated DNA synthesis in the 3′ to 5′ direction using phosphoramiditetechnology) or as a series of polynucleotides. For example, one or morepairs of long polynucleotides (e.g., >100 nucleotides) can besynthesized that contain the desired sequence, with each pair containinga short segment of complementarity (e.g., about 15 nucleotides) suchthat a duplex is formed when the polynucleotide pair is annealed. DNApolymerase is used to extend the polynucleotides, resulting in a single,double-stranded nucleic acid molecule per polynucleotide pair.

The invention also provides vectors containing nucleic acids such asthose described above. As used herein, a “vector” is a replicon, such asa plasmid, phage, or cosmid, into which another DNA segment may beinserted so as to bring about the replication of the inserted segment.The vectors of the invention can be expression vectors. An “expressionvector” is a vector that includes one or more expression controlsequences, and an “expression control sequence” is a DNA sequence thatcontrols and regulates the transcription and/or translation of anotherDNA sequence.

In the expression vectors of the invention, a nucleic acid (e.g., anucleic acid encoding the light and/or heavy chains of sHIgM12) isoperably linked to one or more expression control sequences. As usedherein, “operably linked” means incorporated into a genetic construct sothat expression control sequences effectively control expression of acoding sequence of interest. Examples of expression control sequencesinclude promoters, enhancers, and transcription terminating regions. Apromoter is an expression control sequence composed of a region of a DNAmolecule, typically within 100 to 500 nucleotides upstream of the pointat which transcription starts (generally near the initiation site forRNA polymerase II). To bring a coding sequence under the control of apromoter, it is necessary to position the translation initiation site ofthe translational reading frame of the polypeptide between one and aboutfifty nucleotides downstream of the promoter. Enhancers provideexpression specificity in terms of time, location, and level. Unlikepromoters, enhancers can function when located at various distances fromthe transcription site. An enhancer also can be located downstream fromthe transcription initiation site. A coding sequence is “operablylinked” and “under the control” of expression control sequences in acell when RNA polymerase is able to transcribe the coding sequence intomRNA, which then can be translated into the protein encoded by thecoding sequence. Expression vectors provided herein thus are useful toproduce sHIgM12, as well as other molecules of the invention.

Suitable expression vectors include, without limitation, plasmids andviral vectors derived from, for example, bacteriophage, baculoviruses,tobacco mosaic virus, herpes viruses, cytomegalovirus, retroviruses,vaccinia viruses, adenoviruses, and adeno-associated viruses. Numerousvectors and expression systems are commercially available from suchcorporations as Novagen (Madison, Wis.), Clontech (Palo Alto, Calif.),Stratagene (La Jolla, Calif.), and Invitrogen/Life Technologies(Carlsbad, Calif.).

An expression vector can include a tag sequence designed to facilitatesubsequent manipulation of the expressed nucleic acid sequence (e.g.,purification or localization). Tag sequences, such as green fluorescentprotein (GFP), glutathione S-transferase (GST), polyhistidine, c-myc,hemagglutinin, or Flag™ tag (Kodak, New Haven, Conn.) sequencestypically are expressed as a fusion with the encoded polypeptide. Suchtags can be inserted anywhere within the polypeptide including at eitherthe carboxyl or amino terminus.

The invention also provides host cells containing vectors of theinvention. The term “host cell” is intended to include prokaryotic andeukaryotic cells into which a recombinant expression vector can beintroduced. As used herein, “transformed” and “transfected” encompassthe introduction of a nucleic acid molecule (e.g., a vector) into a cellby one of a number of techniques. Although not limited to a particulartechnique, a number of these techniques are well established within theart. Prokaryotic cells can be transformed with nucleic acids by, forexample, electroporation or calcium chloride mediated transformation.Nucleic acids can be transfected into mammalian cells by techniquesincluding, for example, calcium phosphate co-precipitation,DEAE-dextran-mediated transfection, lipofection, electroporation, ormicroinjection. Suitable methods for transforming and transfecting hostcells are found in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A LaboratoryManual (2^(nd) edition), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York (1989),and reagents for transformation and/or transfection are commerciallyavailable (e.g., Lipofectin® (Invitrogen/Life Technologies); Fugene(Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.); and SuperFect (Qiagen, Valencia, Calif.)).

4. Compositions

The molecules described herein (e.g., antibodies such as sHIgM12 andpolypeptides such as PD-1) can be incorporated into compositions. Suchcompositions are provided herein, as is the use of B7-DC bindingmolecules in the manufacture of compositions. The compositions providedherein can be administered to a subject in order to enhance DC functionand potentiate an immune response. Such compositions also can be usefulto inhibit Th2 immune responses, and thus can treat or inhibitdevelopment of allergic asthma. As described herein, enhanced DCfunction includes such components as prolonged longevity, increasedability to activate naïve T cells, increased localization to the lymphnodes, increased phosphorylation of Akt, and increased secretion ofinterleukin-12 (IL-12).

Compositions provided herein also can contain a molecule (e.g., PD-1)that is immobilized on a solid substrate. Such compositions can be usedto contact DC and enhance their function as described above.

Methods for formulating and subsequently administering therapeuticcompositions are well known to those skilled in the art. Dosagestypically are dependent on the responsiveness of the subject to themolecule, with the course of treatment lasting from several days toseveral months, or until a suitable immune response is achieved. Personsof ordinary skill in the art routinely determine optimum dosages, dosingmethodologies and repetition rates. Optimum dosages can vary dependingon the relative potency of an antibody, and generally can be estimatedbased on the EC₅₀ found to be effective in in vitro and/or in vivoanimal models. Dosage typically is from 0.01 μg to 100 g per kg of bodyweight (e.g., from 1 μg to 100 mg, from 10 μg to 10 mg, or from 50 μg to500 μg per kg of body weight). Compositions containing the moleculesprovided herein may be given once or more daily, weekly, monthly, oreven less often.

In addition to the molecules provided herein, the compositions describedherein further can contain antigens that will elicit a specific immuneresponse. Suitable antigens include, for example, polypeptides orfragments of polypeptides expressed by tumors and pathogenic organisms.Killed viruses and bacteria, in addition to components of killed virusesand bacteria, also are useful antigens. Such antigens can stimulateimmune responses against tumors or pathogens.

Compositions also can include DC that have been isolated from, forexample, bone marrow, spleen, or thymus tissue. DC lines also can beuseful in compositions of the invention.

The molecules featured herein (e.g., antibodies such as sHIgM12) can beadmixed, encapsulated, conjugated or otherwise associated with othermolecules, molecular structures, or mixtures of compounds such as, forexample, liposomes, receptor targeted molecules, or oral, topical orother formulations for assisting in uptake, distribution and/orabsorption.

In some embodiments, a composition can contain a molecule providedherein (e.g., sHIgM12, a polypeptide containing an amino acid sequencethat is at least 80.0% identical to SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQ ID NO:8, anucleic acid encoding a polypeptide that contains an amino acid sequenceat least 80.0% identical to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 or SEQID NO:8, or a nucleic acid molecule containing a nucleotide sequencethat is at least 80.0% identical to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:14) in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptablecarrier. Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers are pharmaceuticallyacceptable solvents, suspending agents, or any other pharmacologicallyinert vehicles for delivering antibodies to a subject. Pharmaceuticallyacceptable carriers can be liquid or solid, and can be selected with theplanned manner of administration in mind so as to provide for thedesired bulk, consistency, and other pertinent transport and chemicalproperties, when combined with one or more therapeutic compounds and anyother components of a given pharmaceutical composition. Typicalpharmaceutically acceptable carriers include, without limitation: water;saline solution; binding agents (e.g., polyvinylpyrrolidone orhydroxypropyl methylcellulose); fillers (e.g., lactose and other sugars,gelatin, or calcium sulfate); lubricants (e.g., starch, polyethyleneglycol, or sodium acetate); disintegrates (e.g., starch or sodium starchglycolate); and wetting agents (e.g., sodium lauryl sulfate).

Pharmaceutical compositions containing molecules provided herein can beadministered by a number of methods, depending upon whether local orsystemic treatment is desired. Administration can be, for example,parenteral (e.g., by subcutaneous, intrathecal, intraventricular,intramuscular, or intraperitoneal injection, or by intravenous (i.v.)drip); oral; topical (e.g., transdermal, sublingual, ophthalmic, orintranasal); or pulmonary (e.g., by inhalation or insufflation ofpowders or aerosols). Administration can be rapid (e.g., by injection)or can occur over a period of time (e.g., by slow infusion oradministration of slow release formulations). For administration to thecentral nervous system, antibodies can be injected or infused into thecerebrospinal fluid, typically with one or more agents capable ofpromoting penetration across the blood-brain barrier.

Compositions and formulations for parenteral, intrathecal orintraventricular administration include sterile aqueous solutions (e.g.,sterile physiological saline), which also can contain buffers, diluentsand other suitable additives (e.g., penetration enhancers, carriercompounds and other pharmaceutically acceptable carriers).

Compositions and formulations for oral administration include, forexample, powders or granules, suspensions or solutions in water ornon-aqueous media, capsules, sachets, or tablets. Such compositions alsocan incorporate thickeners, flavoring agents, diluents, emulsifiers,dispersing aids, or binders.

Formulations for topical administration include, for example, sterileand non-sterile aqueous solutions, non-aqueous solutions in commonsolvents such as alcohols, or solutions in liquid or solid oil bases.Such solutions also can contain buffers, diluents and other suitableadditives. Pharmaceutical compositions and formulations for topicaladministration can include transdermal patches, ointments, lotions,creams, gels, drops, suppositories, sprays, liquids, and powders.Conventional pharmaceutical carriers, aqueous, powder or oily bases,thickeners and the like may be useful.

Pharmaceutical compositions include, but are not limited to, solutions,emulsions, aqueous suspensions, and liposome-containing formulations.These compositions can be generated from a variety of components thatinclude, for example, preformed liquids, self-emulsifying solids andself-emulsifying semisolids. Emulsion formulations are particularlyuseful for oral delivery of therapeutic compositions due to their easeof formulation and efficacy of solubilization, absorption, andbioavailability. Liposomes can be particularly useful due to theirspecificity and the duration of action they offer from the standpoint ofdrug delivery.

Molecules featured herein can encompass any pharmaceutically acceptablesalts, esters, or salts of such esters, or any other compound which,upon administration to a subject, is capable of providing (directly orindirectly) the biologically active metabolite or residue thereof.Accordingly, for example, the invention provides pharmaceuticallyacceptable salts of molecules such as antibodies (e.g., sHIgM12),prodrugs and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of such prodrugs, andother bioequivalents. A prodrug is a therapeutic agent that is preparedin an inactive form and is converted to an active form (i.e., drug)within the body or cells thereof by the action of endogenous enzymes orother chemicals and/or conditions. The term “pharmaceutically acceptablesalts” refers to physiologically and pharmaceutically acceptable saltsof the antibodies useful in methods of the invention (i.e., salts thatretain the desired biological activity of the parent antibodies withoutimparting undesired toxicological effects). Examples of pharmaceuticallyacceptable salts include, but are not limited to, salts formed withcations (e.g., sodium, potassium, calcium, or polyamines such asspermine); acid addition salts formed with inorganic acids (e.g.,hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, ornitric acid); salts formed with organic acids (e.g., acetic acid, citricacid, oxalic acid, palmitic acid, or fumaric acid); and salts formedwith elemental anions (e.g., bromine, iodine, or chlorine).

Compositions additionally can contain other adjunct componentsconventionally found in pharmaceutical compositions. Thus, thecompositions also can include compatible, pharmaceutically activematerials such as, for example, antipruritics, astringents, localanesthetics or anti-inflammatory agents, or additional materials usefulin physically formulating various dosage forms of the compositions ofthe present invention, such as dyes, flavoring agents, preservatives,antioxidants, opacifiers, thickening agents, and stabilizers.Furthermore, the composition can be mixed with auxiliary agents, e.g.,lubricants, preservatives, stabilizers, wetting agents, emulsifiers,salts for influencing osmotic pressure, buffers, colorings, flavorings,penetration enhancers, and aromatic substances. When added, however,such materials should not unduly interfere with the biologicalactivities of the PNA components within the compositions of the presentinvention.

Pharmaceutical formulations as disclosed herein, which can be presentedconveniently in unit dosage form, can be prepared according toconventional techniques well known in the pharmaceutical industry. Suchtechniques include the step of bringing into association the activeingredients (i.e., the antibodies) with the desired pharmaceuticalcarrier(s). Typically, the formulations can be prepared by uniformly andintimately bringing the active ingredients into association with liquidcarriers or finely divided solid carriers or both, and then, ifnecessary, shaping the product. Formulations can be sterilized ifdesired, provided that the method of sterilization does not interferewith the effectiveness of the antibody(s) contained in the formulation.

Compositions can be formulated into any of many possible dosage formssuch as, without limitation, tablets, capsules, liquid syrups, softgels, suppositories, and enemas. Compositions also can be formulated assuspensions in aqueous, non-aqueous or mixed media. Aqueous suspensionsfurther can contain substances that increase the viscosity of thesuspension including, for example, sodium carboxymethyl-cellulose,sorbitol, and/or dextran. Suspensions also can contain stabilizers.

5. Methods

The invention provides methods for using molecules described herein toenhance DC function and potentiate an immune response. Moleculesdescribed herein can interact specifically with B7-DC and, as describedherein, can enhance the function of DC and potentiate an immuneresponse. Methods provided by the invention can be particularly usefulfor treating tumors and inducing immunity to a specific antigen.

The invention also provides methods for using molecules described hereinto treat, prevent, or inhibit development of allergic asthma in amammal. In addition, the invention provides methods modulating anexisting state of immune response in a mammal, and for inhibiting a Th2immune response in a mammal.

The methods provided herein typically include administering to a mammal(e.g., a dog, a cat, a horse, a cow, a rabbit, a rat, a mouse, or ahuman) a molecule of the invention (e.g., an antibody such as sHIgM12)or a composition of the invention (e.g., a composition containingsHIgM12). Methods of the invention also involve administration of DCthat have been contacted with a molecule or a composition providedherein (e.g., a compositions containing sHIgM12 and an antigen). Such DCare useful to potentiate an immune response in the mammal to which theyare administered.

As described above, the molecule, composition, or activated DC can beadministered by any suitable systemic or local method. Systemic methodsof administration include, without limitation, oral, topical, orparenteral administration, as well as administration by injection. Localmethods of administration include, for example, direct injection into atumor.

Methods provided herein also can be used to modulate (e.g., enhance) DCfunction. The enhancement of DC function includes, for example,prolonging the longevity of DC, increasing the ability of DC to activatenaïve T cells, and increasing the localization of DC to lymph nodes in amammal. The longevity of DC can be assessed by, for example, measuringthe expression of NF-κB or the translocation of NF-κB to the nucleus.Since NF-κB is an intracellular signal involved in the inhibition ofprogrammed cell death, increased expression or translocation of NF-κBindicates inhibition of apoptosis and prolonged DC longevity. T cellactivation can be measured by, for example, assessing the incorporationof radiolabeled (e.g., tritiated) thymidine into newly synthesized DNAin proliferating T cells. Activation of naïve T cells also can bemeasured by detecting (e.g., by flow cytometry) CD44 and/or CD69activation markers on the T cell surface.

Methods for potentiating an immune response (i.e., inducing immunity toa particular antigen) can involve administering to a mammal (e.g., ahuman) a composition that contains (1) a purified molecule (e.g., apolypeptide or an antibody, particularly sHIgM12) capable of bindingspecifically to B7-DC polypeptides, and (2) an antigen (e.g., an antigenfrom a tumor cell or from a pathogen). Such methods also can involveadministering DC that have been activated in vitro by contacting thecells with (1) a purified molecule (e.g., a polypeptide or an antibodysuch as sHIgM12) capable of binding specifically to B7-DC polypeptides,and (2) an antigen (e.g., an antigen from a tumor cell or from apathogen). These methods are useful to, for example, treat tumors and/orinduce immunity to pathogens.

Methods of the invention can be useful for treating solid tumorsincluding, without limitation, breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreaticcancer, brain cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer,renal cancer, melanoma, and other solid tumors. Such methods areparticularly useful for treating melanoma and renal carcinoma tumors. Asolid tumor can be, for example, an early-stage solid tumor. As usedherein, the term “treating a tumor” encompasses reducing the size of atumor, reducing the number of viable cells in a tumor, and/or slowing orstopping the growth of a tumor. Methods for assessing such outcomes areknown in the art. Methods for treating tumors can involve administrationof a molecule or composition of the invention (e.g., a compositioncontaining sHIgM12 and a tumor antigen) either systemically (e.g.,intravenously or subcutaneously) or directly to a tumor (e.g., byinjection).

The invention also provides methods that can be used to treat or inhibitdevelopment of allergic asthma in a mammal. These methods can result inreduced asthmatic symptoms in the mammal. For example, administration ofa molecule such as sHIgM12 can result in a decreased level of previouslyobserved symptoms, or can result in decreased development of newsymptoms. Symptoms of asthma can include, without limitation, coughing,wheezing, shortness of breath or rapid breathing, and chest tightness,AHR (e.g., in response to methacholine challenge), increased cellularinfiltrates in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and eosinophil migration tothe lungs.

Methods for treating or inhibiting development of allergic asthma caninclude administering to a mammal (e.g., a dog, a cat, a horse, a cow, arabbit, a rodent, or a human) an effective amount of a B7-DCcross-linking molecule, or an effective amount of a compositioncontaining such a molecule. As used herein, the term “effective amount”is an amount of a molecule or composition that is sufficient to reduceor inhibit development of asthma symptoms in a mammalian recipient by atleast 10%, or that can increase airflow, lung capacity, and/or airwayreactivity by at least 10% (e.g., 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 40%, 50%,60%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 99%, or 100%). In some embodiments,methods of the invention can include administering to a mammal an amountof a composition that is sufficient to reduce or inhibit development ofasthma symptoms by at least 50%.

For example, an “effective amount” of a molecule (e.g., an antibody suchas sHIgM12) can be an amount that reduces or inhibits development of anasthma symptom (e.g., AHR) in a treated mammal by at least 10% ascompared to the level of the symptom in the mammal prior toadministration of the molecule or without administration of the molecule(e.g., the level of the symptom observed in a previous asthmaticepisode). Thus, if an untreated mammal exhibits AHR during methacholinechallenge at a particular concentration of methacholine, treatment ofthe mammal with an effective amount of a B7-DC cross-linking moleculewill either result in no AHR, or will result in AHR at a concentrationof methacholine that is at least 10% greater than the firstconcentration. AHR can be measured by determining airway responsivenessto methacholine challenge as described herein. Alternatively, aneffective amount of a B7-DC cross-linking molecule in a mammal exposedto an asthma-triggering allergen such as dust mites, pet dander, pollen,or mold can reduce the existence or development of symptoms such ascoughing or wheezing by at least 10%, or can reduce the number ofcellular infiltrates in BAL fluid by at least 10%. In addition, aneffective amount of a B7-DC cross-linking molecule can increase airflowrate and airway capacity by at least 10%. Such parameters can bemeasured using, for example, a spirometry breathing test.

6. Articles of Manufacture

The invention provides articles of manufacture that can include one ormore molecules and/or compositions disclosed herein. The molecule and/orcomposition can be combined with packaging material and sold as kits fortreating or reducing development of allergic asthma. The molecule and/orcomposition can be in a container such as a vial, a tube, or a syringe,for example, and can be at least partially surrounded with packagingmaterial. Components and methods for producing articles of manufactureare well known.

Articles of manufacture may combine one or more of the molecules set outin the above sections. For example, an article of manufacture cancontain a composition that includes a molecule provided herein (e.g., anantibody such as sHIgM12 or a polypeptide such as immobilized PD-1). Anarticle of manufacture also can include one or more antigens (e.g., atumor antigen or an antigen from a pathogen) that can stimulate aspecific immune response. Furthermore, an article of manufacture cancontain DC. An article of manufacture also may include, for example,buffers or other control reagents for potentiating an immune response.Instructions indicating that the molecules, antigens, DC, and/orcompositions are effective for potentiating an immune response or fortreating or reducing development of allergic asthma also can be includedin such kits.

The invention will be further described in the following examples, whichdo not limit the scope of the invention described in the claims.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Materials and Methods for Isolating andCharacterizing sHIgM12

Isolation of human antibodies—Human serum samples were obtained from thedysproteinemia clinic, and those exhibiting an Ig clonal peak of greaterthan 20 mg/ml were chosen for further evaluation. The selected sampleswere from 50 patients with a wide variety of conditions characterized bya monoclonal IgM spike, including Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia,lymphoma, and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Serawere dialyzed against water, and precipitates were collected bycentrifugation at 14,000 rpm for 30 minutes and dissolved in phosphatebuffered saline (PBS). The samples were centrifuged and subjected tochromatography on a SUPEROSE-6™ column (Amersham Pharmacia, Piscataway,N.J.). IgM fractions were pooled and analyzed by SDS-PAGE, and proteinconcentrations were determined by reading absorbance at 280 nm. IgMsolutions were sterile filtered and cryopreserved. The antibody sHIgM12was identified based on its ability to bind DC as determined by FACSanalysis (see Example 2). The polyclonal human IgM antibody control wasdescribed previously (Miller et al. (1994) J. Neurosci. 14:6230-6238).

Monomeric sHIgM12 was obtained from the pentameric form by reductionwith 5 mM dithiothreitol (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo.) in 200 mM Tris,150 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA pH 8.0 for 2 hours at room temperature.Subsequent alkylation was performed with 12 mM iodacetamide for 1 houron ice. IgM monomers were isolated by chromatography on a Superdex-200column (Amersham Pharmacia) equilibrated with PBS, and characterized byreducing and non-reducing SDS-PAGE.

Mice and reagents—C57BL6/J, C3H/HeJ, and BALB/C mouse strains wereobtained from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Me.). OT-1 and D0-11transgenic mouse strains (Hogquist et al. (1994) Cell 76:17-27; andMurphy et al. (1990) Science 250:1720-1723) were bred and maintained atthe Mayo Clinic animal facility according to the protocol approved bythe Institutional Review Board for Animal Rights, Mayo Clinic.C57BL/6-RAG^(−/−) mice, CD4^(−/−) mice, and GFP transgenic mice werepurchased from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Me.).β2-microglobulin knockout mice were obtained from Francois Lemmonier,Pasteur Institute, Paris. Chicken OVA was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich.Peptides were synthesized at the Mayo Protein Core Facility.Fluorophore-coupled anti-CD11c(HL-3), anti-B220(RA3-6B2),anti-CD80(16-10A1), anti-CD86(GL-1), anti-CD44(IM7), anti-CD69(H1.2F3),anti-CD3e(145-2C11), anti-Mac1 (M1/70), Pan-NK antibody(DX-5),anti-K^(b)(AF6-88.5), and anti-1-A^(b)(KH74) were obtained from BDPharMingen (San Diego, Calif.). FITC-coupled goat anti-human IgM wasobtained from Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories, Inc. (West Grove,Pa.). The K^(b)-Ser-Ile-Ile-Asn-Phe-Glu-Lys-Leu (SEQ ID NO:1) tetramercoupled to APC was prepared as previously described (Block et al. (2001)J. Immunol. 167:821-826). RPMI-1640 medium was purchased fromGibco/Invitrogen (Carlsbad, Calif.).

Generation of immature and mature DC in vivo—DC from bone marrow wereisolated using an established protocol. Briefly, bone marrow wasisolated from mouse hind leg long bones. Erythrocytes were lysed bytreatment with ammonium chloride-potassium chloride (ACK; 0.1 M NH₄Ac,0.01 M KHCO₃, 60 μM EDTA) at 37° C. The remaining cells were plated at adensity of 1×10⁶ cells per ml in 6 well plates (Becton Dickinson,Franklin Lakes, N.J.) in RPMI-10 containing 10 μg/ml murine granulocytemacrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF; PeproTech, Inc., RockyHill, N.J.) and 1 ng/ml murine interleukin-4 (IL-4; PeproTech, Inc.).Cells were incubated at 37° C. with 5% CO₂. On culture day 2, cells weregently washed and the media was replaced with fresh RPMI-10 containingthe same concentrations of GM-CSF and IL-4, and the culture wascontinued for another 5 days. DC were matured by the addition of either10 μg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS; Difco®) or 50 μmol/ml CpG (MayoMolecular Core Facility) to the cultures for 48 hours. Maturation statuswas confirmed by staining for Class-II, CD80, and CD86.

Human DC were derived from monocytes cultured with GM-CSF and IL-4. Day7 cells were activated with either LPS (10 μg/ml), TNF-α/IL-1β (1.1×10⁴U/ml and 3.2×10³ U/ml, respectively), interferon-γ (IFN-γ; 2×10³ U/ml),or PBS control for 3 days. DC development was followed by monitoring thepresence of the CD83 cell surface marker, as described below.

Flow cytometry—Cells were washed with fluorescence activated cellsorting (FACS) buffer (0.5% bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 0.1% sodiumazide in PBS) and centrifuged into a 96-well plate (Nunc). Antibodieswere added to the wells for a 30 minute incubation on ice. After threewashes with FACS buffer, cells were fixed with 1% paraformaldehyde andanalyzed on a FACSCALIBUR™ (Becton Dickinson). Data were analyzed usingCELL QUEST™ software (BD PharMingen).

Activated human DC were stained with 10 μg/ml of sHIgM12 or polyclonalhIgM control on culture day 10 (3 days after induction of maturation).FITC-conjugated anti-hIgM secondary antibody was added after severalwashes. CD83 is a maturation marker on DC, and was assessed byanti-human CD83-PE antibody.

Human TP365 glioma cells were obtained from Dr. Robert Jenkins at theMayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). Cells were stained with 10 μg/ml sHIgM12or polyclonal hIgM control. A secondary anti-human IgM, Fc_(5μ),fragment specific FITC-conjugated antibody (Jackson ImmunoresearchLaboratories) was added after 2 washes. Cells subsequently were washedand fixed with 2% paraformaldehyde, and subjected to flow cytometryanalysis.

Isolation of endogenous DC—DC were isolated from mouse spleen andthymus. Tissues were cut into small pieces and incubated in RPMIcontaining 2 mg/ml collagenase (Sigma-Aldrich), 100 μg/ml DNAse(Sigma-Aldrich), and 2% fetal calf serum (Hyclone) for 20 minutes at 37°C. EDTA (0.031 M) was added for 5 minutes. Erythrocytes were lysed withACK at 37° C., and the remaining cells were counted and used for flowcytometry.

In vitro activation of naïve T cells—Naïve splenocytes were harvestedfrom mice and plated in triplicate after erythrocyte lysis using ACKbuffer. 3×10⁵ responder cells were stimulated in vitro for three dayswith titrating doses of antigen or antigen-pulsed DC. The plated cellswere pulsed with ³H-thymidine during the final 18 hours before they wereharvested and ³H levels determined.

Adoptive transfer of DC and T cells—DC derived from seven-day bonemarrow cultures were pulsed overnight with 1 μmol/ml of the class-Irestricted peptide Ser-Ile-Ile-Asn-Phe-Glu-Lys-Leu (SEQ ID NO:1) or theclass-II restricted peptideIle-Ser-Gln-Ala-Val-His-Ala-Ala-His-Ala-Glu-Ile-Asn-Glu (SEQ ID NO:2),or with 1 mg/ml chicken OVA. The control antibody or sHIgM12 wasco-incubated with the peptide in the cultures at a concentration of 10μg/ml. Cells were harvested the next day and washed three times withPBS, and 10⁷ cells per mouse were injected intravenously for in vivopriming of T cells.

For experiments to monitor cell division, OT-1 splenocytes were labeledwith 5 μM 5-(and 6-) carboxyfluorescein diaceteate succinimidyl ester(CFSE) for 20 minutes at 37° C. prior to adoptive transfer. Followingthree washes with PBS, 10⁷ CFSE-labeled splenocytes were intravenouslyinjected into each mouse. DC and T cells were administered in separateinjections. Spleen cells were harvested 2 or 7 days after adoptivetransfer and either analyzed directly by flow cytometry or incubated inculture with various concentrations of OVA for three additional days.Cultures were pulsed with ³H-thymidine overnight before harvesting andevaluation for ³H incorporation as a measure of T cell activation.

Competition for binding—PD-1.Ig was acquired from Lieping Chen at theMayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). The plasmid encoding PD-1.Ig wasoriginally obtained from Drew Pardoll (Johns Hopkins University,Baltimore, Md.). The plasmid was transformed into CHO cells (ATCC,Manassas, Va.), and PD-1.Ig was isolated from culture supernatants usingprotein G columns (Pharmacia). DC were preincubated with PD-1.Ig for 20minutes at 4° C. before addition of sHIgM12 and subsequent staining witha fluorescein isothiocyanate- (FITC-) conjugated secondary antibody. Forthe reverse experiments, cells were preincubated with sHIgM12 beforeaddition of PD-1.Ig. An isotype control antibody was used as a control.

Staining of transfected cells—293-T cells and P815 cells were obtainedfrom ATCC. Cells were transiently transfected with expression plasmidsencoding either B7-DC or B7-H1 and stained with sHIgM12, PD-1.Ig, or anisotype control antibody.

Ltk cells (ATCC) were transiently transfected with 2.5 μg of pcDNA3.1(Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) or 0.5 μg to 10 μg of pcDNA3.1-hB7.DCexpression plasmids. After 48 hours, cells were stained with sHIgM12 orpolyclonal hIgM control. FITC-conjugated anti-hIgM secondary antibodywas added after several washes.

In vivo assays—To evaluate in vivo effects of sHIgM12 on T cellproliferation, mice were treated with 10 μg of sHIgM12 or polyclonalHIgM control on days −1, 0, and +1, and intravenously injected with 1 mgOVA on day 0. On day 7, splenocytes were isolated and pulsed withconcentrations of OVA ranging from 1 ng/ml to 1 mg/ml. After three daysof culture in vitro, cells were incubated with 1 μCi of ³H-thymidine for16 hours before harvest and determination of ³H incorporation.

The effect of sHIgM12 on a lethal tumor cell challenge was evaluated inC57BL/6J mice, C57BL/6-RAG^(−/−) immunodeficient mice, β2-microglobulinknockout mice (K⁻D⁻), and CD4^(−/−) knockout mice. The animals received10 μg of sHIgM12, polyclonal HIgM control, or PBS intravenously on days−1, 0, and +1. All mice received a subcutaneous injection of 2×10⁴ B16melanoma cells in the flank on day 0. The presence of tumors wasevaluated starting on day 10. Data were pooled from three separatetrials. Categorical data was analyzed using Chi-square distribution(C57BL/6J) or Fischer exact test (C57BL/6-RAG^(−/−), CD4^(−/−) andK⁻D⁻).

For studies of tumor growth, the width and length of subcutaneous tumorswere measured on day 17 (C57BL/6) or day 13 (C57BL/6-RAG^(−/−)). Theproduct of width and length was used as an estimate of tumor size.Statistical comparisons were made using ANOVA.

To evaluate the persistence of anti-tumor resistance in tumor survivors,C57BL/6 mice that survived otherwise lethal B16 melanoma challenge wererechallenged with 2×10⁴ tumor cells 30 or more days after the primarychallenge. Rechallenge was administered on the opposite flank from theprimary challenge. No further antibody treatments were administered. Asreference points for comparison, naïve animals were treated with sHIgM12or polyclonal HIgM control and challenged with the same dose of tumorcells. Developing tumors were measured (width and length) on day 14, anddata were analyzed by ANOVA.

Cytokine withdrawal assay—Day 5 DC were plated on 96-well plates at2×10⁴ cells per well. Cells were cultured with sHIgM12, A2B5 controlantibody, or media to a final concentration of 10 μg/ml in RPMI-10 with10 μg/ml granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and 1ng/ml interleukin-4 (IL-4). Alternatively, DC were contacted withimmobilized PD-1.Ig prior to plating and culturing in RPMI-10 withGM-CSF and IL-4. Cells were cultured for 5 days before cytokinewithdrawal. For cytokine withdrawal, cells were washed and cultured inRPMI-10 alone. After 1 hour, Alamar Blue (Biosource International,Camarillo, Calif.) was added to a final concentration of 10% (v/v).Readings were taken at 6 hour intervals on a CYTOFLUOR® multiplatereader (Series 4000, PerSeptive Biosystems, Framingham, Mass.). Thefluorescence plate reader was set to an excitation wavelength of 520 nmand an emission wavelength of 590 nm. Each data point was done intriplicate.

Assessment of DC migration to lymph nodes—Bone marrow from GFPtransgenic mice was used to derive GFP⁺ DC. In some experiments, thecells were pulsed with a Ser-Ile-Ile-Asn-Phe-Glu-Lys-Leu (SEQ ID NO: 1)peptide and then treated with sHIgM12 or an isotype control antibody for16 hours or over night. Cells were subcutaneously injected into mice,and then isolated from the ipsilateral popliteal and inguinal lymphnodes 48 hours after transfer. Contralateral lymph nodes from bothtreatment groups served as controls. To measure the number of GFP⁺ DCthat migrated to the lymph nodes, samples were stained withPE-conjugated CD11c antibody and analyzed by flow cytometry.

To assess the effect of these GFP⁺ DC, splenocytes from OT-1 T cellreceptor (TcR) transgenic mice (3×10⁵ T cells per well) were co-culturedfor 4 days with titrated numbers of cells from the ipsilateral draininglymph nodes of mice treated as described above. Cells were pulsed with 1mCi of ³H-thymidine per well for the final 16 hours of the incubation,and then harvested for measurement of ³H incorporation. Each group wasperformed in triplicate.

In related studies, GFP⁺ DC were mixed with sHIgM12 or control antibody(10 μg/ml) immediately prior to transplantation, and the migration ofthe cells to lymph nodes was assessed as described above. In anothergroup of studies, the cells were transferred without antibody and themice received three i.v. tail injections of 10 μg sHIgM12 or HIgMcontrol on days −1, 0, and +1 relative to the transplant. Again, lymphnodes were harvested and analyzed as described above.

IL-12 measurement—Day 7 bone marrow derived DC were treated withsHIgM12, polyclonal HIgM control, or LPS at a final concentration of 10μg/ml. Supernatants were collected 96 hours after stimulation and anELISA (BD PharMingen, San Diego, Calif.) was performed for the activefraction of IL-12. The supernatant tested for each treatment group waspooled from 6 separate wells. Experimental groups were tested intriplicate and at numerous dilutions, with each demonstrating a similarprofile.

Example 2 A Monoclonal Human IgM Antibody Binds Mouse DC

DC were obtained in culture following incubation of mouse bone marrowcells in media supplemented with GM-CSF and IL-4. Cells from seven daycultures were incubated with purified antibodies isolated from humansera, and stained with fluoresceinated goat anti-human antibody as wellas antibodies specific for cell surface molecules typically expressed onDC. As shown in FIG. 1, the human antibody sHIgM12 bound cells in thecultures that expressed high levels of CD11c, class II, and CD86.Polyclonal human IgM, as well as the other tested monoclonal antibodiesfrom patients with gammopathies or from EBV-transformed cell lines didnot appreciably bind the DC populations.

To determine when the cell surface determinant recognized by the sHIgM12antibody first appears during the in vitro development of DC, culturedcells were analyzed by flow cytometry at various times during theculture procedure. The determinant first appeared on day 5,approximately 2 days after the appearance of cells expressing highlevels of the DC marker CD11c. The determinant was expressed at evenhigher levels in cells cultured in the presence of LPS and CpG, twomolecular signals associated with bacterial infection.

DC isolated from various tissues were examined to establish whetherendogenous cells express the determinant bound by sHIgM12 antibody. DCfreshly isolated from spleen, thymus, and bone marrow all were stainedby the sHIgM12 antibody. In contrast, most other bone marrow cells,splenic B cells, splenic T cells, and splenic macrophages were notappreciably stained by sHIgM12. B cells, T cells, NK cells, andmacrophages were activated with LPS or concanavalin A to assess whetheractivated lymphoid or monocytic cells express the antigen. None of theactivated cells from these lineages bound sHIgM12. The sHIgM12 antibodytherefore appears to bind a cell surface molecule expressed selectivelyby DC, and this determinant is expressed increasingly as the DC matureand become activated.

Example 3 The sHIgM12 Antibody Potentiates Dendritic Antigen-PresentingFunction

To determine whether binding of sHIgM12 to the surface of DC influencesthe pattern of expressed cell surface molecules, day 7 DC cultures weresupplemented with 10 μg/ml antibody, incubated overnight, and analyzedby flow cytometry. Changes in the cell surface markers (e.g., class IIB7-I and B7-II) were not observed.

The antigen-presenting functions of the DC were assessed in vitro.Antibody-treated DC were pulsed with peptide antigen and used tostimulate naïve antigen-specific T cells freshly isolated from OT-1 andDO-11 transgenic mice. T cell activation was measured by incorporationof ³H-thymidine as described in Example 1. DC that were pulsed with aclass I-binding peptide (Ser-Ile-Ile-Asn-Phe-Glu-Lys-Leu; SEQ ID NO:1)and incubated with polyclonal HIgM control antibody were able toactivate naïve CD8 T cells from OT-1 mice. DC treated with the samepeptide and incubated with the monoclonal sHIgM12 antibody activatednaïve T cells approximately 10-fold more effectively, as judged by thenumber of antigen-pulsed DC required to induce the incorporation of³H-thymidine (FIG. 2A). BALB/c DC pulsed with a peptide(Ile-Ser-Gln-Ala-Val-His-Ala-Ala-His-Ala-Glu-Ile-Asn-Glu; SEQ ID NO:2)presented by class II molecules were even more effective at activatingnaïve T cells freshly isolated from DO-11 TcR transgenic mice. Greaterthan 100-fold more DC treated with polyclonal HIgM control antibody wereneeded to activate T cells to levels observed with sHIgM12-treated DC(FIG. 2B). These experiments demonstrated that the antigen-presentingfunctions of DC were dramatically enhanced by treatment of DC withsHIgM12.

To assess the requirement for direct contact between DC and T cells inthe potentiation of T cell activation, the two cell types are culturedin compartmentalized tissue culture plates that allow soluble factors tomove between chambers but do not allow cellular contact betweenchambers. Alternatively, antibody-depleted supernatants from DC culturestreated with sHIgM12 are incubated with cultures of transgenic spleencells or transgenic spleen cells mixed with DC pulsed with specificantigen.

The ability of antigen-pulsed, antibody-treated DC prepared in vitro tostimulate splenic T cells in vivo was evaluated in C3H/HeJ mice. Thisinbred strain is genetically defective at the TLR-4 locus andconsequently is not responsive to LPS, an activator of DC. Day 7cultures of mouse bone marrow-derived DC were incubated overnight withchicken OVA and sHIgM12 or polyclonal HIgM control antibody, and 10⁷cells were intravenously infused into each mouse. After seven days,spleen cells were removed from the animals, incubated in vitro withvarious amounts of OVA for three days, and T cell activation wasmeasured by incorporation of ³H-thymidine. As shown in FIG. 3, spleencells from animals that had received sHIgM12-treated DC responded muchmore vigorously to secondary challenge with OVA than did spleen cellsfrom mice that received DC treated with polyclonal HIgM control. DCtreated in culture with sHIgM12 therefore displayed enhanced ability tostimulate T cells in vivo. Because DC from the TLR-4 deficient mice wereresponsive to sHIgM12 treatment, possible contamination by LPS was not afactor in these experiments. In parallel studies, polymixin B was addedto the DC cultures to inactivate potential LPS contaminants. Polymixin Bhad no influence on DC function following treatment with sHIgM12,although it was effective in reducing maturation of the DC when LPS wasadded directly to the cultures.

To visualize what was happening to the T cells in vivo, C57BL/6antigen-pulsed, antibody-treated DC were adoptively transferred alongwith transgenic OT-1 cells into C57BL/6 hosts. OT-1 T cells wereidentified in these experiments by probing withK^(b):Ser-Ile-Ile-Asn-Phe-Glu-Lys-Leu (SEQ ID NO: 1) tetramers. Spleencells were recovered 2 or 7 days after transfer, and tetramer-positive Tcells were analyzed by flow cytometry to determine their activationstate. T cells stimulated in vivo by DC pretreated with sHIgM12expressed substantially higher levels of the activation markers CD44 andCD69 two days after transfer as compared to T cells stimulated by DCpretreated with PBS. By day 7, cells remaining in the spleen were lessactivated, but cells transferred into mice receiving sHIgM12-treated DCstill expressed higher levels of CD44 and CD69. DC not treated withantigen had no effect on the activation of transgenic T cells uponadoptive transfer, whether pretreated with sHIgM12 or not. Treatmentwith sHIgM12 therefore potentiated the ability of DC to activate T cellsin vivo.

Example 4 The Pentameric Structure of sHIgM12 Facilitates DCPotentiation

To test the hypothesis that low affinity IgM antibodies have the abilityto activate cells because they cross-link multiple receptors on thecells surface of targeted cells, monomeric fragments of sHIgM12 wereevaluated for their ability to stain DC, potentiate DC function, andblock the ability of an intact sHIgM12 antibody to potentiate function.IgM monomers were significantly less effective than intact sHIgM12 atstaining DC (FIG. 4A). However, the fragments did stain the cells morethan polyclonal IgM antibodies, suggesting that they have intact, lowaffinity binding sites. Moreover, the antibody fragments were able toblock the ability of intact IgM to potentiate DC antigen-presentingfunction (FIG. 4B). Overnight treatment with sHIgM12 monomers did not,however, potentiate the ability of DC to induce T cells to incorporate³H-thymidine. The sHIgM12 antibody therefore may function bycross-linking multiple determinants on DC. The monomeric fragments canbind the determinants and thus block the ability of the pentamers tocross-link the relevant cell surface structures.

Example 5 B7-DC is the Cognate Receptor for sHIgM12 on Murine DC

To determine the identity of the receptor for sHIgM12 on the surface ofDC, murine bone marrow derived DC were incubated with or without asoluble PD-1.Ig fusion protein and stained with sHIgM12. Binding of thePD-1 fusion protein attenuated sHIgM12 staining to approximately 50% ofthe level observed in the absence of PD-1 (FIG. 5A). The reciprocalexperiment showed that sHIgM12 also reduced the binding of PD-1 to DC toabout 20% of the level observed in the absence of sHIgM12 (FIG. 5B). Thehigher avidity of the pentameric IgM antibody may contribute to thehigher degree of competition by sHIgM12.

To investigate whether sHIgM12 can bind to B7-DC, 293T cells weretransfected with a plasmid encoding murine B7-DC. 2×10⁵ cells wereplated and incubated overnight prior to transfection. 2 μg of theexpression plasmid was mixed with 5 μl of FUGENE® (Roche) and incubatedfor 20 minutes in a 37° C. incubator. The mixture was pipetted directlyonto the cells. The cells were cultured for 48 hours at 37° C., and thenstained with either sHIgM12 or a control antibody. Flow cytometryrevealed that approximately 97% of the transfected cells were stained bysHIgM12. Since the PD-1 receptor has been shown to have dual specificityfor B7-DC and B7-H1, P815 cells were transfected with B7-H1 to determinewhether the epitope for sHIgM12 is conserved between the two familymembers. sHIgM12 did not bind to P815 cells expressing B7-H1, indicatingthat the binding to B7-DC may be specific.

Example 6 sHIgM12 Binding to B7-DC Directly Induces Functional Changesin DC

To examine whether binding of sHIgM12 to B7-DC directly affects DCbiology, DC were treated in vitro with sHIgM12, polyclonal HIgM control,or LPS. The cells then were analyzed for their ability to (1) survive inculture following cytokine deprivation, (2) migrate to draining lymphnodes following adoptive transfer into naïve animals, and (3) secreteIL-12, a key immuno-modulator.

Prolonged survival of DC could lead to more effective interaction with Tcells and thus potentiate immune responses. The possibility that sHIgM12provides a survival signal to DC that would otherwise undergo apoptosiswas investigated by cytokine withdrawal assays. Murine bonemarrow-derived DC were plated on day 5 into 96-well plates. Cells werecultured with sHIgM12, A2B5 (a control antibody that binds DC), or mediain RPMI-10 containing GM-CSF and IL-4. To achieve cytokines withdrawal,cells were washed in cultured in RPMI-10 alone. Alamar Blue was addedone hour after withdrawal. The metabolism of Alamar Blue was measured at6 hour intervals. The data represent the percentage of cellularmetabolism that was maintained 24 hours after cytokine withdrawal,whereby 100% represents the level of metabolism when DC were culturedwith GM-CSF and IL-4, and 0% arbitrarily represents complete cytokinewithdrawal.

As shown in FIG. 6A, withdrawal of GM-CSF/IL-4 reduced metabolism to 29%of the level observed in cells cultured in cytokine-supplemented media.Incubating the cells with sHIgM12, however, resulted in 80% maintenanceof metabolism levels 24 hours after cytokine withdrawal. Treatment withA2B5 did not significantly improve metabolism in the cultures ascompared to treatment with media alone (33% vs. 29%). Additionally,treatment with sHIgM12 resulted in larger numbers of viable, Annexin-Vnegative DC 24 hours after cytokine withdrawal than were found incomparable cultures treated with control antibodies. In analogousexperiments, DC were incubated with a PD-1.Ig fusion protein that wasimmobilized by binding to plastic plates. Treatment with the PD-1.Igfusion maintained DC metabolism upon GM-CSF/IL-4 withdrawal in a mannercomparable to treatment with sHIgM12 (FIG. 6B), and there was nostatistical difference between the two groups. Cells contacted withPD-1.Ig maintained metabolism at statistically higher levels than cellstreated with polyclonal HIgM control antibody or PBS (p<0.05). Other IgMantibodies known to bind to DC membranes also are useful for cytokinewithdrawal experiments as described herein. Such antibodies include, forexample, the anti-MHC class-I antibody 28-13-3 (specific for K^(b)) andthe murine oligodendrocyte-binding antibody 94.03.

The anti-apoptotic activity induced by sHIgM12 indicated that theantibody may induce intracellular signals that inhibit programmed celldeath. To evaluate this possibility, bone marrow cells were culturedwith GM-CSF and IL-4 for 7 days. Cells were treated with sHIgM12,polyclonal HIgM control, or LPS for various lengths of time, stainedwith an antibody against the p65 subunit of NFκB, and subsequentlystained with an antibody against the DC marker CD11c. These experimentsrevealed that NFκB was upregulated between 15 and 30 minutes afteraddition of sHIgM12. The polyclonal HIgM control had no effect on NFκBlevels. The effect of sHIgM12 was specific and was not due to LPScontamination, as DC from Toll-4 deficient mice did not respond to LPStreatment but did upregulate NFκB after treatment with sHIgM12. ThesHIgM12 antibody therefore may bind to DC and induce intracellularsignals that block programmed cell death, thus enhancing the ability ofthe cells to induce T cell responses against specific antigens.

To further examine whether binding of sHIgM12 to B7-CD has a directeffect on DC biology and viability, bone marrow-derived DC from micetransgenic for green fluorescent protein (GFP) were treated in vitroprior to adoptive transfer into syngeneic, non-C57BL/6 transgenic mice.Five-fold more GFP⁺, CD11c⁺ DC were recovered from draining poplitealand inguinal lymph nodes in mice receiving sHIgM12-treated DC than thosereceiving cells treated with polyclonal HIgM control. The capacity oflymph node immigrants to potentiate an immune response was tested byconcomitant treatment of the DC with sHIgM12 andSer-Ile-Ile-Asn-Phe-Glu-Lys-Leu (SEQ ID NO:1) peptide prior to adoptivetransfer. In vitro treatment of DC with anti-B7-DC antibody not onlyincreased the number of DC recovered by draining lymph nodes, but alsoincreased by 10-fold the ability of these lymph node DC to induce anantigen-specific T cell response.

The ability of sHIgM12 to modulate DC function in a distant tissue wastested by mixing the antibody with untreated DC at the time oftransplantation. This experiment was designed to determine whether DCmigration and survival could be enhanced provided that the antibodyreaches the transplantation site. Treatment with the sHIgM12 antibodyresulted in enhanced DC migration to draining lymph nodes, while thepolyclonal HIgM control did not result in enhanced migration. In relatedexperiments, mice received i.v. doses of sHIgM12 or polyclonal HIgM onthe day before, the day of, and the day after DC transplant. Again, themigration of DC was increased in the mice that received sHIgM12, whilethe control did not have such an effect. Systemic administration of theantibody therefore is sufficient to influence DC biology.

IL-12 is a key factor in promoting Th1-type cellular immunity.Production of IL-12 by DC treated with sHIgM12 was measured by an ELISAusing culture supernatants. Treatment with sHIgM12 stimulated nearly3-fold higher levels of IL-12 p70 release by DC than did LPS, a strongdanger signal. The polyclonal HIgM control did not elicit detectablelevels of IL-12 p70. The increased secretion of IL-12 supports theobservation that modulation of B7-DC by sHIgM12 strongly potentiates acellular immune response against even weakly immunogenic tumors.

Example 7 sHIgM12 Binds to Human DC

To examine whether sHIgM12 also binds the human B7-DC orthologue, humanmonocyte-derived DC were stained with sHIgM12 or polyclonal IgM controlantibody. sHIgM12 bound weakly to immature DC. Maturation of the cellswith LPS increased the level of sHIgM12 binding, particularly on CD83⁺cells. DC activated with different stimulation protocols displayedsHIgM12 binding that was increased to varying degrees: cells activatedwith LPS were bound by sHIgM12 to a high degree, cells activated withTNF-α and IL-1β were bound by sHIgM12 to an intermediate degree, andcells activated with IFN-γ were bound by sHIgM12 to a lesser degree.

To determine whether human B7-DC is a ligand for sHIgM12, Ltk fibroblastcells were transiently transfected with a human B7-DC expression plasmidand cultured for 48 hours. sHIgM12 bound to the B7-DC transfected cellsto a significantly higher level than to mock-transfected cells.Furthermore, the level of sHIgM12 binding to L-cells was positivelycorrelated with the amount of B7-DC plasmid used in the transfection.

B7-DC is expressed in a variety of human and murine tumors. To examinewhether sHIgM12 binds to tumor cells, human TP365 glioma cells wereincubated with the antibody. These cells were stained by sHIgM12 at alevel that was significantly higher than the staining by polyclonal IgMcontrol antibody. Furthermore, PCR was used to generate a B7-DC ampliconwith DNA from TP365 cells. The sHIgM12 antibody thus may bind to gliomacells via B7-DC.

Example 8 Effects of sHIgM12 on Immune Response to Protein Antigen

The systemic effect of sHIgM12 binding to DC was examined in vivo. Micewere treated with 10 μg sHIgM12 antibody or polyclonal HIgM control ondays −1, 0, and +1, and immunized with 1 mg of OVA on day 0, Seven daysafter immunization, splenocytes were isolated and assayed for aproliferative response against OVA antigens. Splenocytes treated withpolyclonal HIgM control did not mount an immune response against OVA.Treatment with sHIgM12, however, led to high levels of proliferation inresponse to titrated amounts of antigen (FIG. 7). These data indicatethat systemic sHIgM12 has profound immune potentiating effects,presumably through its interaction with DC.

Since sHIgM12 significantly enhanced T cell activation at the time ofadoptive transfer into immunocompetent mice (Example 3), it is possiblethat sHIgM12 treatment could enhance the protective effect of adoptivelytransferred DC primed with antigenic tumor-derived peptides. To testthis possibility, syngeneic DC pulsed with the B16-derived antigenicpeptide Trp2₁₈₀₋₁₈₈ are adoptively transferred into C57BL/6 mice on theearliest day after tumor inoculation on which antibody treatment alonedoes not protect the mice. Groups of C57BL/6 mice receive DC pulsed witheither tumor specific antigenic peptide or an irrelevant peptide alongwith sHIgM12 or polyclonal HIgM control. Alternatively, a B16 melanomavariant that expresses chicken OVA is used as an antigen. T cells fromOT-1 TcR transgenic mice are adoptively transferred into mice bearingestablished tumors at various stages (e.g., days +3, +5, +7, +9, and+11) after tumor challenge. The activation, tumor infiltration, andanti-tumor cytotoxicity of T cells bearing the OT-1 receptor aremonitored as animals are treated with sHIgM12 or polyclonal HIgMcontrol. OT-1 cells specific for the surrogate tumor antigen arevisualized and isolated using T cell-specific class I tetramers such asthose generated in response to the antigenicSer-Ile-Ile-Asn-Phe-Glu-Lys-Leu (SEQ ID NO:1) OVA peptide.

Example 9 Materials and Methods for In Vivo Studies of theImmunotherapeutic Potential of sHIgM12 in Conferring Anti-Tumor Activity

Mice: Wild type C57BL/6J, B6.129S2-Cd4^(tm1Mak/)J (CD4^(−/−)),B6.129S2-Cd8^(tm1Mak)/J (CD8^(−/−)), B6.129S7-Rag1^(tm1Mom)/J(Rag1^(−/−)), and B6.129S2-Gzmb^(tm1Ley)/J (granzyme B^(−/−)) strains ofmice, all on the C57BL genetic background, were purchased from TheJackson Laboratory. B6.129P2-B2m^(tm1Unc)/J (β2-microglobulin^(−/−))mice were bred in the immunogenetic mouse colony (Chella David) at theMayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. B cell deficient μMT mice were obtainedfrom Marilia Cascalho at the Mayo Clinic. C57BL/6-Prf1^(tm1Sdz)/J(perforin^(−/−)) mice were originally obtained from The JacksonLaboratory and were subsequently bred in the mouse colony of MosesRodriguez at the Mayo Clinic.

Reagents: The B7-DC cross-linking antibody, sHIgM12, was purified asdescribed herein. A preparation of pHIgM and an IgM antibody (sHIgM39)purified from the serum of a patient with chronic lymphoproliferativedisorder were used as isotype control antibodies. Bouin's fixative wasobtained from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, Mo.). B16, B16-F10, and EL-4lines of tumors were maintained in RPMI (Cambrex Bioscience,Walkersville, Md.) containing 10% calf serum (GIBCO Invitrogen, GrandIsland, N.J.). PE antibody coupled to the pan-NK cell marker, DX-5, wasobtained from PharMingen (San Diego, Calif.). NK1.1 (PK136) was obtainedfrom Lieping Chen at the Mayo Clinic. LPS and Poly I:C were purchasedfrom Calbiochem. CpG (5′-TCCATGACGTTCCTGACGTT-3′, SEQ ID NO:3) wassynthesized in the Mayo Clinic molecular biology core facility.

Prophylactic Regimen: Mice were injected with 2×10⁴ B16 cells on theright flank in a 100 μl volume. Animals were injected at a distal sitewith 10 μg of sHIgM12 or the control antibody in 100 μl in PBS on theday before, the day of, and the day after tumor challenge. Mice weremonitored for tumor development, and were euthanized when the tumor sizereached 225 mm² in size. The size of the tumors was determined in twodimensions using calipers (Dyer, Lancaster, Pa.). Mice that failed todevelop tumors for 30 days were rechallenged with 2×10⁴ B16 cells on theleft flank. Rechallenged mice were monitored for another 30 days.Separate sets of mice that resisted B16 melanoma grafts were challengedwith 2×10⁶ EL-4 cells on the opposite flank and were monitored for tumorgrowth. Naïve mice injected with 2×10⁶ EL-4 cells served as controls forthis test of specificity of tumor resistance.

Therapeutic regimen: Mice were intravenously injected with 5×10⁵ B16-F10cells. Mice were treated with 10 μg of sHIgM12 or the control antibodyon days 3, 4, and 5. Sentinel mice were injected with the tumor cellsand received no further treatments. Tumor load in sentinel animals wasmonitored by examining the lungs of individual animals on a periodicbasis using a dissection microscope to ascertain when a significanttumor load was present in the treatment groups. When a sentinel wasdetected that had developed 50 or more tumor nodules in their lungs, theanimals in the experimental treatment groups were euthanized and tumornodules in their lungs were counted. For depletion experiments, 200 μgof NK1.1 mAb was injected intraperitoneally 72 hours and 48 hours priorto tumor injection and every 3-4 days thereafter for the duration of theexperiment. Depletion of the appropriate cell subset was confirmed byflow cytometry using anti-NK1.1 and anti-DX-5 antibody. The sentinelmice typically developed nodules in the lungs by days 17 to 21. Micefrom all the experimental groups were then euthanized, the lungs werefixed with Bouin's fixative, and the number of nodules was determinedusing a dissection microscope.

Flow Cytometry: Sera were collected from mice that had been engraftedwith B16 melanoma on the flank and treated using the prophylacticregimen with either control polyclonal IgM antibody or sHIgM12 antibody.Dilutions of the sera were assayed for the presence of anti-tumorantibodies using standard flow cytometry to assess binding to B16melanoma cells. DC derived from bone marrow precursors in vitro orisolated directly from the spleens of animals (see, e.g., Radhakrishnanet al. (2003) J. Immunol. 170:1830-1838) were analyzed by multicolorflow cytometry for incorporation of FITC and staining with anti-B7.1- orB7.2-PE, and anti-CD11c-APC.

Cytotoxicity Assay: Briefly, 5×10⁵ B16 melanoma cells were injected inthe right flank of C57BL/6 mice. Mice were injected intravenously witheither 10 μg of control antibody or B7-DC cross-linking antibody on theday before, the day of, and the day after tumor injection. Seven dayslater, cells from the draining lymph nodes from five mice per group wereharvested, pooled and further stimulated with 2×10⁶ cells/ml ofmitomycin C- (Calbiochem) treated B16 melanoma cells for an additional 4days. The effector cells were harvested and titrated in triplicateagainst ⁵¹Cr (Amersham) labeled B16 or EL4 cells in a standard 4 hourcytotoxicity assay.

Statistical analysis: Statistical analysis was performed on normallydistributed data using ANOVA for multiple comparisons, or the Student'st-test for comparisons of two groups. For data that was not distributednormally, the Whitney-Rank sum test was used for the analysis of twotreatment groups and a rank ANOVA for comparing more than two treatmentgroups.

Example 10 Systemic Treatment with sHIgM12 Induces Resistance to B16Melanoma

B16 melanoma is an aggressive tumor derived from C57BL mice that killsimmunocompetent animals receiving a subcutaneous inoculum of as few as2×10⁴ cells. In this model, palpable tumors develop 10-12 days followingtumor transplantation, and tumors typically progress to surface areas inexcess of 225 mm² by day 17. In these experiments, mice wereintravenously injected at a distant site with isotype control polyclonalIgM antibody (pHIgM), PBS, or sHIgM12 on days −1,0, and +1 relative totumor transplant. At day 17, only a single mouse among thirteen mice(7%) treated with pHIgM and no mice among 13 PBS treated animals wastumor free. In contrast, 11 of 16 mice (69%) injected with sHIgM12remained tumor free at day 17 (p<0.001, Table 1). For mice that diddevelop palpable tumors, sHIgM12 treatment significantly inhibited tumorgrowth as compared to growth of tumors in mice treated with PBS or pHIgM(p<0.001, Table 1). The delay in growth was transient, as tumors thatdid develop in sHIgM12-treated mice eventually progressed to 225 mm² insize. In a separate experiment, mice treated with sHIgM12 antibody ondays 9, 8, and 7 prior to challenge with B16 melanoma displayed notreatment effects on tumor growth; 100% of the animals treated withB7-DC cross-linking antibody (n=8) or isotype control antibody (n=8)developed tumor with the same kinetics. This finding indicates that thetiming of treatment relative to tumor engraftment is an important factorin determining treatment outcome.

TABLE 1 sHIgM12 treatment protects mice from subcutaneous challenge withB16 melanoma Tumor- Average Free Tumor Size SEM Treatment (Day 17)Statistic (mm²) (mm²) Statistic pHIgM 1/13 Reference 167.0 +/−21.2Reference PBS 0/13 NS* 182.1 +/−21.3 NS sHIgM12 11/16  P < 0.001 13.2+/−7.5 P < 0.001 *NS = no statistical difference

Example 11 Resistance to B16 Melanoma by sHIgM12 Treatment is ImmuneMediated

Flow cytometry was used to evaluate whether sHIgM12 binds directly totumor cells. No binding was observed, suggesting that the antibody maybe acting indirectly on the tumor cells by binding to cells derived fromthe host. sHIgM12 antibody bound to DC derived from bone marrowprecursors in vitro, however, suggesting that the induced resistance tolethal tumor challenge may be mediated by sHIgM12 interaction withendogenous DC. Modulation of DC function could promote changes in theimmune response, and could be the underlying mechanism determiningantibody induced tumor resistance. This possibility was explored usingtwo approaches. First, studies were conducted to evaluate whethersHIgM12 antibody administered systemically to mice could modulate thephenotype of endogenous DC. Second, studies were conducted to determinewhether in vivo administration of sHIgM12 induced tumor resistance bypotentiating an anti-tumor response.

Using DC generated in vitro from bone marrow precursors, it was shownthat treatment with sHIgM12 B7-DC cross-linking antibody potentiates theability of these cells to activate naïve antigen-specific T cells, butdoes not induce traditional maturation markers in the DC. As DC mature,they lose the ability to acquire antigen from their surroundings andincrease their expression of the co-stimulatory molecules B7.1 (CD80)and B7.2 (CD86) at the cell surface (Banchereau and Steinman (1998)Nature 392:245-252). B7.1 and B7.2 expression levels were notsubstantially increased following treatment of bone marrow derivedmyeloid DC with sHIgM12 antibody in vitro (Radhakrishnan et al., supra).To evaluate functional changes associated with activation followingsHIgM12 treatment, changes in pinocytotic activity were assessed bymonitoring the ability of DC to take up FITC-tagged bovine serum albumin(BSA) in vitro. As shown in Table 2A, DC treated with the TLR-4 agonistLPS accumulated lower amounts of FITC-BSA as compared to the levelsacquired by DC treated with pHIgM control antibody. Since engagement ofTLR-4 induces maturation of DC, this was an expected result. Incontrast, DC treated with the B7-DC cross-linking antibody sHIgM12accumulated significantly more FITC-BSA than did DC treated with isotypecontrol antibody. This finding provided additional evidence thatactivation of DC with B7-DC cross-linking antibody does not induce atraditionally defined maturation response, but rather induces adistinctive activation phenotype.

The ability of endogenous DC to pinocytose was evaluated to determinewhether systemic treatment with B7-DC cross-linking antibody targets DCin vivo, as well. C57BL/6 mice were treated intravenously on twosuccessive days with either isotype control IgM antibody sHIgM39, theB7-DC cross-linking antibody sHIgM12, or a combination of the TLR-3 andTLR-9 agonists poly I:C and CpG oligonucleotide. LPS was not used in thein vivo analysis to avoid toxicity. At the time of the second treatment,the animals received 100 ug of FITC-OVA intraperitoneally. Twenty hourslater, splenic DC were isolated and analyzed by flow cytometry foraccumulation of FITC-OVA and expression levels of the co-stimulatorymolecules B7.1 and B7.2. DC were identified by their expression of thesurface marker CD11c. As shown in Table 2B, DC isolated from animalstreated with sHIgM12 acquired significantly higher levels of FITC-OVArelative to DC from animals treated with the isotype control antibody.This result mirrored the analysis of pinocytotic activity of bone marrowderived DC in vitro. Furthermore, DC isolated from animals treated withthe TLR agonists accumulated significantly lower levels of FITC-OVA, afinding consistent with the decrease in antigen acquisition by matureDC. The maturation status of these endogenous DC in this analysis isillustrated by the levels of expression of the B7.1 and B7.2co-stimulatory molecules in the different treatment groups. There was nosignificant difference in expression levels of co-stimulatory moleculeson DC isolated from animals treated with B7-DC cross-linking antibody orisotype control antibodies, demonstrating that treatment with sHIgM12antibody does not induce maturation of DC in vivo. DC from mice treatedwith the TLR agonists, on the other hand, expressed significantly higherlevels of both co-stimulatory molecules, demonstrating that DCmaturation is induced by engaging TLR-3 and TLR-9.

TABLE 2 Antigen acquisition and expression of co-stimulatory moleculesfollowing DC activation FITC-MFI B7.1 B7.2 Source of DC Treatment(+/−SEM) MFI (+/−SEM) MFI (+/−SEM) A. IN VITRO Bone marrow Polyclonal141.5 (+/−0.5) ND* ND GM-CSF/IL-4 human IgM; 10 μg/ml p < 0.001 FITC-BSABone marrow sHIgM12; 10 μg/ml 583.5 (+/−6.5) ND ND GM-CSF/IL-4 FITC-BSAp < 0.001 Bone marrow LPS; 10 μg/ml  10.0 (+/−1.0) ND ND GM-CSF/IL-4FITC-BSA p < 0.001 B. IN VIVO Spleen sHIgM39 isotype  56.0 (+/−10.7)52.01 (+/−3.2)  194.7 (+/−2.4) Endogenous control; 100 μg p < 0.001 NS**NS DC FITC-OVA i.p. Spleen sHIgM12; 116.0 (+/−7.0) 53.0 (+/−4.2) 200.0(+/−8.5) Endogenous 100 μg FITC- p = 0.001 NS NS DC OVA i.p. Spleen PolyI:C/CpG-  24.7 (+/−2.7) 70.7 (+/−2.6) 319.3 (+/−3.8) Endogenous ODN; 100μg p = 0.026 p = 0.013 p < 0.001 DC FITC-OVA i.p. *ND = not determined**NS = no statistical difference

Dendritic cell uptake of antigen is a critical step in the initiation ofantigen-specific T cell responses. The effect of sHIgM12 on the abilityof DC to take up antigen was studied using FITC labeled chicken albuminas a model antigen. Eight week old mice received intradermal injectionsof 100 μg FITC-OVA. After 24 hours, the amount of FITC contained withinCD11c⁺ dendritic cells was assessed by flow cytometry. The animalsreceived a variety of treatments to influence antigen uptake by DC indraining lymph nodes. As shown in FIG. 8A, no label was incorporated inDC of mice that received i.v. injections of 10 μg sHIgM39 one day priorto and on the same day as intradermal challenge with FITC-OVA. Thiscontrol IgM human antibody has no apparent binding on mouse dendriticcells. In contrast, DC isolated from animals that received the isotypematched sHIgM12 antibody incorporated substantial FITC label, indicatingthat they took up the FITC-OVA antigen (FIG. 8B). Pretreatment of DCwith the TY-25 anti-B7-DC antibody inhibited the activation of thetranscription factor NF-κB in DC that is usually induced followingincubation with sHIgM12. As shown in FIG. 8C, administration of TY-25also inhibited the acquisition of soluble antigen induced by sHIgM12. Asshown in FIG. 8D, sHIgM12 treatment had no effect on antigen uptake bydendritic cells in the draining lymph nodes of B7-DC deficient animals,although DC from B7-DC deficient animals were able to take up antigenfollowing i.v. injection of an IgG antibody specific for CD40 one dayprior to and on the day of intradermal challenge with 100 μg of FITC-OVA(FIG. 8E). The level of antigen uptake induced by CD40-specific antibodytreatment of B7-DC^(−/−) mice was comparable to the levels of uptakeobserved in normal animals in response to the same treatment (FIG. 8F).

To determine whether treatment of mice with sHIgM12 induces tumorresistance by potentiating an immune response, the ability of antibodyto induce tumor resistance in immunodeficient B6-RAG1^(−/−) mice, whichlack B and T cells, was evaluated. Treatment of these animals withsHIgM12 using the prophylactic treatment protocol had no effect on B16melanoma appearance or growth, demonstrating that an intact immunesystem is essential for the induction of tumor resistance (Table 3A).The failure of sHIgM12 antibody treatment to protect Rag-deficient micealso provided additional evidence that the antibody does not actdirectly on the tumor. The importance of the CD8 T-cells in the hostimmune response to the tumors was established usingβ₂-microglobulin^(−/−) mice. Although these knockout mice have an intactCD4 T-cell repertoire, the deficiency in CD8 T-cells abolished theprotective effect of sHIgM12 antibody treatment (Table 3B). Likewise,the absence of a helper response in CD4 knockout mice abrogated theprotective effect of sHIgM12, as all of these mice developed palpabletumors akin to mice receiving control treatment (Table 3C).

TABLE 3 B7-DC cross-linking antibody is not protective inimmuno-compromised host Tumor- Average Free Tumor SEM Group Treatment(Day 11) Statistic Size (mm²) (mm²) Statistic A. pHIgM 0/5 Reference150.0 +/−22.2 Reference C57BL/6J-RAG^(−/−) sHIgM12 0/5 NS* 192.6 +/−15.8NS B. pHIgM 0/6 Reference 136.5 +/−29.3 Reference C57BL/6J-β₂-m sHIgM120/6 NS 136.0 +/−24.5 NS C. pHIgM 0/9 Reference 162.3 +/−13.0 ReferenceC57BL/6J-CD4^(−/−) sHIgM12 0/9 NS 150.0 +/−14.4 NS *NS = no statisticaldifference

The B-cell immune response, as measured by serum levels of anti-tumorantibodies, was indistinguishable between C57BL/6 mice receiving sHIgM12or polyclonal IgM treatment. Serum was collected from mice on day 17,when animals treated with isotype control antibodies had developedtumors approaching 225 mm² in size. Animals treated with B7-DCcross-linking antibodies were tumor free. Serial dilutions of the serawere assessed for tumor-binding antibodies by flow cytometry. As shownin FIG. 9, levels of tumor reactive antibodies were indistinguishable inanimals receiving tumor protective treatment with B7-DC cross-linkingantibody or non-protective treatment with polyclonal human IgM antibody.

To further evaluate whether B cell responses contribute to theanti-tumor response induced by B7-DC cross-linking, B cell-deficient μMTanimals were treated with B7-DC cross-linking antibodies and challengedwith B16 melanoma using the prophylactic treatment model described inExample 8. Wild-type C57BL/6 mice treated with isotype control human IgMantibody developed rapidly growing tumors that reached 225 mm² by day 17after tumor engraftment (n=4). In contrast, C57BL/6 (n=5) and B celldeficient μMT (n=5) mice treated with sHIgM12 B7-DC cross-linkingantibody were strongly protected; one of five of the C57BL/6 miceeventually developed a tumor, while no tumors developed in the B-celldeficient μMT animals. B16 melanoma grew rapidly in the μMT mouse linefollowing treatment with isotype control antibody, demonstratinghistocompatibility of the tumor with the μMT subline. These resultsdemonstrated that an anti-tumor antibody response is not a criticalfactor distinguishing susceptible from resistant mice in this tumormodel. Furthermore, the finding that B cell deficient mice are protectedfrom B16 melanoma following treatment with the human antibody sHIgM12excludes the possibility that an anti-human IgM antibody response byantibody treated animals is an integral component of the treatmenteffect elicited with B7-DC cross-linking antibody.

The hallmark of an effective adaptive immune response is a vigorousmemory response upon secondary challenge. To study whether a memoryresponse against B16 tumor antigens was established following treatmentwith sHIgM12 antibody, the surviving mice were re-challenged with alethal dose of B16 melanoma cells in the opposite flank. As shown inTable 4, mice that had survived for at least 30 days following initialtumor challenge displayed significant resistance to a secondarychallenge with tumor cells (p<0.001). As none of the surviving micereceived additional treatments with sHIgM12, the resistance to secondarychallenge indicates that an effective anti-tumor immune response wasestablished in mice treated with sHIgM12 following the initialchallenge. In contrast, animals that resisted B16 melanoma followingsHIgM12 antibody treatment showed no increased resistance to theunrelated tumor, EL-4.

To determine whether treatment with B7-DC cross-linking antibodypotentiates tumor-specific CTL, the draining lymph nodes of mice bearing7 day tumors were assayed for tumor-specific CTL precursors. The animalswere treated with sHIgM12 antibody or control antibody one day prior to,the same day as, and one day after tumor challenge. Harvested lymph nodecells were cultured in the presence of mitomycin-treated B16 melanomacells for an additional four days and then assessed for tumor specificcytotoxic activity in a standard ⁵¹Cr release assay. Cytotoxic activityagainst B16 target cells was only observed in cultures of cells derivedfrom animals treated with B7-DC cross-linking antibody (FIG. 10).Killing was specific for the B16 melanoma targets, as EL-4 tumor cellswere not killed. Lymph node cells from B16 challenged mice treated withcontrol antibody displayed no activity, a finding consistent with the

TABLE 4 B7-DC cross-linking antibody induces a recall response. AverageTumor- Tumor Free Size SEM Treatment (Day 17) Statistic (mm²) (mm²)Statistic Naïve, pHIgM 0/5 Reference 206.0 +/−25.2 Reference Naïve,sHIgM12 4/5 P = 0.048 13.6 +/−13.6 P < 0.001 Tumor survivors 6/9 P =0.031 35.6 +/−20.2 P < 0.001 (sHIgM12) Naïve, EL-4  0/4* Reference 171.5+/−17.7 Reference challenge B16 survivor,  0/4* NS** 158.5 +/−20.1 NSEL-4 challenge *Animals were evaluated for growth of EL-4 tumors ontheir flanks on day 13 **NS = no statistical differenceknown weak innate antigenicity of B16 melanoma tumor line. Takentogether, these findings demonstrate that systemic treatment with theB7-DC cross-linking antibody sHIgM12 potentiates a cellular immuneresponse against B16 melanoma, causing acute tumor rejection andlong-term immunity.

Example 12 Treatment with sHIgM12 Protects Mice in a B16 Lung MetastasisModel

The F10-B16 subline of B16 melanoma was selected for its efficientability to metastasize to the lungs. This particular tumor line ishighly virulent, weakly antigenic, and is characterized by depressed MHCclass I gene expression. Intravenous introduction of F10-B16 melanoma asa cell suspension typically results in 50 to 200 tumor nodules in thelungs of within three to four weeks. To evaluate the effectiveness ofsHIgM12 treatment on the induction of tumor resistance in this model,animals were seeded with lung metastases three days prior to antibodytreatment. Animals received 10 μg of sHIgM12 B7-DC cross-linkingantibody intravenously on days 3, 4, and 5 post tumor challenge.Untreated sentinel mice that received identical tumor challenges weremonitored for tumor burden. When tumor burdens exceeded 50 nodules inthe sentinel mice, the experiments were terminated and the lungs ofanimals from all treatment groups were analyzed for the presence oftumor.

As shown in FIG. 11, the lungs of animals receiving sHIgM12 antibodycontained significantly fewer tumor nodules than mice receiving controlpHIgM. In the experiment shown, all eight animals treated with sHIgM12antibody developed fewer tumor nodules than the least number observed inthe eight animals treated with control isotype matched antibody(p<0.001), and three of the eight protected animals developed no tumor.Overall, approximately half the animals (14 of 29) treated with sHIgM12remained free of tumor. Thus, systemic administration of B7-DCcross-linking antibody confers resistance to a highly lethal, weaklyimmunogenic tumor even after the tumor is allowed to establish for threedays prior to initiating treatment.

Example 13 Induced Resistance to F10-B16 Melanoma is Mediated by CD8+ TCells

Since F10-B16 tumors express reduced amounts of MHC class I molecules,the possibility that resistance induced by treatment with sHIgM12 mightbe mediated by NK cells was evaluated. Animals were treated withanti-NK1.1 antibody prior to tumor challenge. The efficiency of the NKcell depletion protocol was monitored by flow cytometry using NK1.1- andDX-5-specific antibodies to visualize NK cells. Splenic NK cells werereduced by greater than 90% in animals treated with NK1.1 specificantiserum. As shown in FIG. 12, direct comparison of sHIgM12-treated, NKcell depleted animals with sHIgM12-treated mice suggests a minor, butstatistically significant (p<0.001) contribution of NK cells in theanti-tumor response induced by systemic sHIgM12 treatment. However, NKcell depleted mice were still responsive to the immunotherapeuticeffects of B7-DC cross-linking antibody administered three days afteri.v. challenge with F10-B16 melanoma (p=0.002). In contrast,CD8-knockout mice were not responsive to treatment with B7-DCcross-linking antibody, indicating that CD8+ T cells are criticalmediators of anti-tumor immunity in this model. NK-deficient orCD8-deficient mice that did not receive B7-DC cross-linking antibodieswere no more susceptible or resistant to developing lung tumors thanwere untreated animals, consistent with the characteristically weakimmunogenicity of the F10-B16 tumor line.

The ability of cytotoxic lymphocytes to kill tumor cells is mediated, inpart, by perforin- and granzyme-dependent pathways (Van den Broek et al.(1996) J. Exp. Med. 184:1781-1790; and Pardo et al. (2002) Eur. J.Immunol. 32:2881-2887), although in some circumstances both mediators ofcytotoxicity are not required (Smyth et al. (2003) J. Immunol.171:515-518). Experiments were conducted to evaluate whether theprotective effects induced by systemic antibody treatment are perforinmediated. Perforin knockout mice were treated with sHIgM12 on days 3, 4,and 5 post tumor challenge as described above, and lungs were analyzedfor growth of tumor nodules. As shown in FIG. 13, sHIgM12 immunotherapywas ineffective in perforin deficient animals, while highly effective inwild type B6 mice. In an independent experiment, B7-DC cross-linkingwith sHIgM12 antibody also was not protective in granzyme B-deficientmice. Using the therapeutic treatment model, an average of 98.2 (+/−4.9SEM, n=5) tumor nodules were found in the lungs of granzyme B-deficientmice treated with control polyclonal human IgM antibody, as compared to99.2 (+/−15.0, n=5) tumor nodules in the lungs of granzyme B-deficientmice treated with sHIgM12 B7-DC cross-linking antibody. Since NK cellsdo not appear to be the primary mediators of the anti-tumor resistanceinduced by treatment with B7-DC cross-linking antibody, and since theprotective response is dependent on CD8 T cells, these findings are mostconsistent with the view that treatment of tumor bearing mice with B7-DCcross-linking antibody potentiates cytolytic CD8+ T cells in vivo, andthat cytotoxicity is mediated by both perforin and granzyme B.

Example 14 Production of Recombinant Human IgM Antibodies

Once antibodies of interest such as sHIgM12 are identified, immortalizedsources are generated to sustain these important reagents. A vectorsystem was developed and used to immortalize sHIgM12 as well as anotherhuman IgM antibody (sHIgM22) identified in the serum of a Waldenstrom'smacroglobulinemia patient. The amino acid sequence of the antibodieswere determined from Fv fragments generated from the serum. Sincemalignant B cells circulate in the blood of Waldenstrom patients, cDNAencoding the heavy and light chain genes of the sHIgM22 antibody presentin highest serum concentrations was successfully isolated. These cDNAsequences were used to generate a genomic human IgM heavy chain geneencoding the variable region derived from the patient antibody and acDNA-based light chain gene expressed under control of thecytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. These antibody gene sequences wereincorporated into a single vector (FIG. 14) along with a selectable dHfRgene expressed under the control of a SV40 promoter. The vector bearingthe synthetic antibody genes was introduced into F3B6 hybridoma cells byelectroporation. Methotrexate resistant cells were selected andamplified by stepping up the amount of methotrexate in the culturemedium. A clone expressing 100 μg antibody per ml of supernatant wasrecovered. The recombinant antibody displayed all functional propertiesidentified for the antibody isolated from the patient serum.

This same procedure was used to generate a recombinant supply ofsHIgM12. An amino acid sequence analysis of sHIgM12 was obtained. Sincethe amino-terminus of the antibody heavy chain was blocked, Fv fragmentswere generated to increase the efficiency of obtaining an amino terminalsequence. The amino terminal sequence of the sHIgM12 heavy chain wasdetermined to beVal-Gln-Leu-Gln-Glu-Ser-Gly-Pro-Gly-Leu-Leu-Lys-Pro-Ser-Glu-Thr-Leu-Arg/Ser-Leu-Thr-Asn(SEQ ID NO:4), while the amino terminal sequence of the light chain wasdetermined to beAsp-Ile-Gln-Met-Thr-Gln-Ser-Pro-Ser-Ser-Leu-Ser-Ala-Ser-Val-Gly-Asp-Arg-Val(SEQ ID NO:5).

cDNA was isolated from the patient's peripheral blood cells, to be usedfor recovering full length cDNA copies of the mRNA encoding sHIgM12. Inorder to ensure than recovered cDNAs truly represented the antibody ofinterest, the amino acid sequences of CDR3 regions of sHIgM12 weredetermined. This was accomplished by proteolytic digestion of the Fvfragments and conventional amino acid sequencing of the digestionproducts. Once the sHIgM12 cDNAs were obtained, they were inserted intoa vector that was similar to that described above but was modified forexpression of IgM/Kappa antibodies by substituting the light chainconstant region. Recombinant sHIgM12 then was expressed in thehuman/mouse hybridoma line F3B6 as described above. A hybridomaexpressing the recombinant antibody (rHIgM12) was deposited in theAmerican Type Culture Collection (ATCC; P.O. Box 1549, Manassas, Va.20108) on Jan. 17, 2008, and was assigned Patent Deposit Designationnumber PTA-8932. Amino acid sequences for the variable (Vk) and constant(Ck) domains of the sHIgM12 light chain are set forth in SEQ ID NOS:6and 7, respectively. Amino acid sequences for the variable (Vh) andconstant (CH1, CH2, CH3, and CH4) domains of the sHIgM12 heavy chain areset forth, respectively, in SEQ ID NOS:8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. These aminoacid sequences also are provided in FIGS. 19A and 19B. Nucleotidesequences encoding the variable regions of the sHIgM12 light and heavychains are shown in FIG. 20 (SEQ ID NOS:13 and 14, respectively). Themodified vector also was used successfully to express the human antibodyrHIgM46.

Example 15 Materials and Methods for Allergic Asthma Experiments

Mice and Reagents: Six to eight week-old BALBc/J andBALB/c-Stat4^(tm1Gru) mice were obtained from Jackson Laboratory. OVAprotein was purchased from Sigma Aldrich (St. Louis, Mo.).

Immunization and airway challenge: The sensitization and challengeprocedure with OVA was modified from the method described by Zhang etal. ((1997) Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care. Med. 155:661-669). Briefly, allmice were sensitized by an intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 100 μgOVA adsorbed to 1 mg of alum (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.) on day 0. For thetherapeutic regimen, mice received a second i.p. injection of 100 μg OVAadsorbed to alum on day 7. Experimental mice were intranasallychallenged with 100 μg OVA in PBS under tribromoethanol anesthesia ondays 14, 23, 24, 25 and 26.

Treatment with B7-DC cross-linking antibody: In the prophylacticregimen, mice were treated intravenously with sHIgM12 or the controlpolyclonal IgM (pHIgM) antibody at 10 μg per day on days −1, 0, and 1relative to the first sensitization with OVA in alum. This schedule wasdesigned to determine whether antibody treatment would prevent or reducethe establishment of a Th2 polarized response, which typically iselicited by the use of alum as an adjuvant. In the therapeutic regimen,the antibody treatments were carried out at the same dose and route onthe day prior to the first intranasal challenge, the day of challenge,and the day after challenge with OVA in PBS (days 13, 14, and 15relative to the first sensitization with OVA in alum). This treatmentschedule was designed to assess whether treatment with B7-DCcross-linking antibody after immunization with a Th2 polarizing regimencould modulate an established response polarity.

Measurement of airway responsiveness to methacholine: Airwayresponsiveness was assessed on day 27 by methacholine-induced airflowobstruction in conscious mice in a whole body plethysmograph (BuxcoElectronics, Troy, N.Y.). Pulmonary airflow obstruction was measured byenhanced pause (Penh) with a transducer connected to preamplifiermodules and analyzed by system software. To measure methacholineresponsiveness, mice were exposed for 2 minutes to PBS, followed byincremental dosages of aerosolised methacholine (Sigma Aldrich, StLouis, Mo.). Penh was monitored for each dose.

Collection of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid: Immediately aftermeasuring AHR, animals were injected i.p. with a lethal dose (250 mg/kg)of pentobarbital (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Ill.). The tracheawas cannulated and the lungs were lavaged twice with 0.5 ml of HBSS.After centrifugation, the supernatant was collected and stored at −20°C. The cells were resuspended and counted using a hemocytometer. BALcell differentials were determined with Wright-Giemsa stain; ≧200 cellswere differentiated using conventional morphologic criteria. IL-5 in theBAL fluid supernatants was measured by ELISA as directed by themanufacturer (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, Minn.).

Histology: After BAL fluid collection, lungs were fixed in 10% formalinand embedded in paraffin. Sections were prepared and stained withHematoxylin and Eosin. Some sections also were used forimmunohistochemistry studies with an anti-CD3 antibody and aperoxidase-labeled secondary developing reagent. The sections wereevaluated by microscopy at 100× and 400× magnification.

In vitro cytokine production and measurement of proliferation: On day27, splenocytes from mice treated with the control antibody or sHIgM12were harvested and processed. Briefly, after making a single cellsuspension, red blood cells were lysed by hypertonic shock using ACK(ammonium chloride/potassium bicarbonate/EDTA). Cells were counted andresuspended at 3×10⁶ cells/ml in RPMI (Cambrex Biosci, Walkersville,Md.). OVA at a concentration of 2 mg/ml was titrated at half logdilutions. Splenocytes were added at 3×10⁵ cells in 100 μl. Supernatantswere harvested after 48 hours and stored for cytokine assay. Cells werepulsed with ^([3])H-thymidine (Packard, Boston, Mass.) during the last18 hours of the 72 hours assay. Cells were collected and counted forincorporation of ^([3])H-thymidine. Stored supernatants were analyzedfor IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α by ELISA according to theprotocol of the manufacturer (R&D Systems).

Statistical analysis: Data were analyzed using a two way repeatedmeasures ANOVA or the Student T test for normally distributed data andthe Whitney-Rank sum test for nonparametric data.

Example 16 Treatment with sHIgM12 Reduces Bronchial AHR in a MurineModel of Allergic Airway Inflammation

Experiments were conducted to determine whether cross linking of B7-DCon murine DC with sHIgM12 antibody resulted in an immune response skewedaway from the pathogenic Th2 phenotype that can be induced byimmunization with the adjuvant alum. In particular, the effect ofsHIgM12 on the asthma-like condition induced during initial immunizationwith OVA was analyzed. sHIgM12 was administered to mice starting one-dayprior to, the day of, and one day after immunization with OVA in alum,as depicted in the protocol timeline of FIG. 15A. Mice treated with thesHIgM12 antibody were significantly protected from airwayhyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine challenge relative to animalstreated with isotype control antibodies (FIG. 16A, p=0.041).

The OVA model of allergic asthma is characterized by pulmonaryinflammation reflected by an increase in the number of total cells inthe BAL, an increase in the number of eosinophils in the lungs and BAL,and perivascular and peribronchial cellular infiltrates in lung tissuesections (Zhang et al., supra). The number of total cells in the BALfluid was significantly reduced in sHIgM12 treated mice (FIG. 16B,p=0.013). Moreover, sHIgM12 treatment also resulted in dramaticallyreduced eosinophil migration to the lungs (FIG. 16C, p=0.015). IL-5 is acytokine that plays a pivotal role in migration of eosinophils(Macatonia et al. (1995) J. Immunol. 154:5071-5079). The failure todetect significant eosinophilic infiltrates correlated with theobservation of reduced levels of IL-5 following treatment with sHIgM12antibody (FIG. 16D, p=0.008). Most striking was the finding that sHIgM12treatment totally abrogated lung inflammation, the thickening ofbronchial epithelium, and the accompanying accumulation of mucus plugsthat were readily evident in mice treated with isotype controlantibodies.

Example 17 Therapeutic Treatment with sHIgM12 Reduces Development of AHR

To determine whether treatment with sHIgM12 treatment could reducedevelopment of allergic airway inflammatory disease in a therapeuticmouse model, mice were treated with sHIgM12 antibody on days 13, 14 and15 following initial sensitization with OVA in alum adjuvant, asdepicted in the protocol regimen of FIG. 15B. This regimen of treatmentprovided an opportunity to assess the potential of sHIgM12 antibody tomodulate established T cell immune reactivity in a setting where theimmune response was already skewed toward a pathogenic Th2 polarity.Mice that received the sHIgM12 antibody showed dramatic reduction inairway responsiveness to methacholine (FIG. 17A, p=0.01) relative toanimals that received isotype control antibody. Moreover, the number ofcellular infiltrates observed in the BAL of sHIgM12-treated mice wascomparable to the number recovered in normal mice, and was significantlylower than the number of cellular infiltrates found in BAL from eitherthe control antibody or the PBS treated mice (FIG. 17B, p=0.008).Similar to the findings with the prophylactic treatment regimen, therewas no detectable eosinophilic infiltration in the mice treatedtherapeutically with sHIgM12 antibody (FIG. 17C, p=0.001).

To further characterize the T cell response pattern, supernatants fromthe homogenized lungs of the various groups of mice were analyzed forthe prototypic Th1 cytokine, IFN-γ, and the Th2 cytokine, IL-4. Micethat received sHIgM12 showed significantly reduced amounts of both IL-4(FIG. 17D, p=0.008) and IFN-γ (FIG. 17E, p=0.016) in comparison to thecontrol antibody treated mice. While IL-5 levels were not measured inthis experiment, the complete absence of eosinophilia indicated thatIL-5 levels also were low in the sHigM12-treated animals. This cytokinepattern suggested that sHIgM12 treatment does not lead to aproinflammatory cytokine environment in the lungs by switching thepolarity of the T cell response from Th2 to Th1, but rather blocks thedevelopment of either kind of T cell response. Immunohistochemistryanalysis of lung tissue using a CD3-specific antibody as a probesupported this conclusion. Few T cells were present in the lungs ofnaïve animals. In contrast, lungs from mice treated with PBS orpolyclonal IgM control antibody contained extensive T cell infiltrates.Remarkably, the lungs from sHIgM12 treated mice showed no signs ofinflammation, similar to the lungs of untreated mice. In addition, therewas no lung pathology in animals that received the therapeutic treatmentprotocol of sHIgM12 antibody 14 days after pre-sensitization; the lungsof naïve animals and sHIgM12 antibody treated mice wereindistinguishable. In contrast, animals that were treated with PBS orisotype control antibody exhibited severe distortion of their bronchialairways and substantial inflammatory infiltration.

To determine whether the IL-12 signaling pathway is important for invivo therapeutic effects of sHIgM12 antibody treatment, the ability ofsHIgM12 to modulate inflammatory airway disease was assessed in Stat4deficient animals. Stat 4 is a requisite intermediary that mediatesIL-12 signaling (Jacobson et al. (1995) J. Exp. Med. 181:1755-1762).Stat 4 deficient animals are known to develop highly polarized Th2responses, as their ability to develop immune responses with Th1character is severely compromised by the mutation (Kaplan et al. (1996)Nature 382:174-177; and Thierfelder et al. (1996) Nature 382:171-174).In these experiments, the severity of induced airway inflammatorydisease was substantially greater in Stat 4 deficient animals ascompared to wild type mice. Therapeutic treatment of Stat 4 deficientanimals with sHIgM12 had no effect, while in the same experiment wildtype mice were completely protected from airway inflammatory disease.This finding indicates that the ability to mobilize the Stat 4 signalingmolecule is critical for the effect of sHIgM12, and provides evidencethat IL-12 production may be important for altering the polarity of theresponse by pre-sensitized animals.

Example 18 Treatment with sHIgM12 Alters Cytokine Production

In the absence of inflammation in the lungs of sHIgM12-treated animals,splenocytes from antibody treated animals were examined in vitro for thenature of their recall response to OVA challenge, to determine whetherthe Th2 polarity characteristic of an allergic response was alteredtoward a Th1 polarity. Mice were treated with sHIgM12 antibody orisotype control antibody on days 13, 14 and 15 post-sensitization withOVA in Alum adjuvant. Splenocytes were harvested at day 28 and wererestimulated in vitro with OVA. The proliferative response of T cells inresponse to antigen was enhanced 10-fold in mice that had receivedsHIgM12 treatment in comparison to the control antibody treatment (FIG.18A). This finding was consistent with the previous observation thattreatment of DC with sHIgM12 enhances the ability to stimulate T cells(Radhakrishnan et al., supra). These experiments also demonstrated thepotential of the sHIgM12 antibody to stimulate cellular responsesagainst isolated proteins, an observation that may have importantimplications for the development of vaccines.

In further studies, supernatants from the stimulated cultures wereharvested and tested for the presence of cytokines. Although mice thatreceived sHIgM12 produced significantly higher levels of INF-γ than micetreated with isotype control antibody, neither treatment group producedsubstantial levels of this cytokine (FIG. 18B, p=0.008). The same trendwas observed for TNF-α production. Splenocytes from mice treated withsHIgM12 secreted small amounts of TNF-α, while no TNF-α was detected insupernatants from splenocytes treated with control antibody (FIG. 18C,p=0.029). In contrast to these Th1 cytokines, the prototypic Th2cytokines IL-4 and IL-5 were substantially lower in cultures from micetreated with sHIgM12 antibody. Splenic cultures from mice treated withsHIgM12 contained very small quantities of IL-4 (FIG. 18D, p=0.004) andIL-5 (FIG. 18E, p=0.048). These data indicate that sHIgM12 skews the Tcell response toward a Th1 polarity, but that even the Th1 responseremains weak despite a strong proliferative response to secondaryantigen challenge. The presence of substantial levels of IL-10 insecondary cultures pre-treated with sHIgM12 (FIG. 18F, p=0.008) mightexplain the absence of inflammation in the lungs of mice challengedintranasally with experimental allergen. In spite of the ability of Tcells in these animals to secrete IFN-γ and TNF-α, T regulatory cellsmight dampen this tendency and inhibit the cytokines from tracking tothe lungs. Taken together, these data support the notion that sHigM12treatment protects pre-sensitized individuals from allergic airwayinflammatory disease by reducing a Th2 type of environment, and bypromoting secretion of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10.

Other Embodiments

It is to be understood that while the invention has been described inconjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoingdescription is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of theinvention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Otheraspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding anantibody comprising a light chain variable domain comprising an aminoacid sequence that has one or more substitutions, deletions, oradditions with respect to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ IDNO:6 and is at least 95.0% identical to the amino acid sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:6, and a heavy chain variable domain comprising anamino acid sequence that has one or more substitutions, deletions, oradditions with respect to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ IDNO:8 and is at least 95.0% identical to the amino acid sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:8wherein the antibody competes for binding to humanor mouse cells with the antibody produced by ATCC Accession No.PTA-8932.
 2. An isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an antibodycomprising a light chain variable domain comprising an amino acidsequence that has one or more substitutions, deletions, or additionswith respect to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6 and isat least 95.0% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ IDNO:6, and a heavy chain variable domain comprising an amino acidsequence that has one or more substitutions, deletions, or additionswith respect to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8 and isat least 95.0% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ IDNO:8wherein the antibody competes for binding to human or mouse cellswith an antibody having a light chain variable domain amino acidsequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6 and a heavy chain variable domainamino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 8. 3. The isolatednucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or 2 encoding a variable domain of anantibody wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleotidesequence that is at least 98% identical to the nucleotide sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO: 14, and wherein the antibodycompetes for binding to human or mouse cells with the antibody producedby ATCC Accession No. PTA-8932 or with an antibody having a light chainvariable domain amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6 and aheavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ IDNO:
 8. 4. The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or 2, whereinsaid nucleic acid further encodes a light chain constant domain aminoacid sequence that is at least 80.0% identical to the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:7, and heavy chain constant domain CH1,CH2, CH3 and CH4 sequences that are at least 80.0% identical to SEQ IDNO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:11 and SEQ ID NO:12, respectively.
 5. Theisolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or 2 encoding an antibodycomprising a light chain variable domain comprising the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6, and a heavy chain variable domaincomprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8.
 6. Theisolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 1 or 2 wherein the sequenceencoding the light chain variable domain comprises the nucleic acidsequence set out in SEQ ID NO:13 and the sequence encoding the heavychain variable domain comprises the nucleic acid sequence set out in SEQID NO:14.
 7. An isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an antibodycomprising a light chain variable domain comprising the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6, and a heavy chain variable domaincomprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8.
 8. Theisolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 7 wherein the sequence encodingthe light chain variable domain comprises the nucleic acid sequence setout in SEQ ID NO:13 and the sequence encoding the heavy chain variabledomain comprises the nucleic acid sequence set out in SEQ ID NO:14. 9.The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 7, wherein said nucleic acidfurther encodes a light chain constant domain amino acid sequence thatis at least 80.0% identical to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQID NO:7, and heavy chain constant domain CH1, CH2, CH3 and CH4 sequencesthat are at least 80.0% identical to SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ IDNO:11 and SEQ ID NO:12, respectively.
 10. A composition comprising thenucleic acid molecule selected from (a) an isolated nucleic acidmolecule encoding an antibody comprising a light chain variable domaincomprising an amino acid sequence that has one or more substitutions,deletions, or additions with respect to the amino acid sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:6 and is at least 95.0% identical to the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6, and a heavy chain variable domaincomprising an amino acid sequence that has one or more substitutions,deletions, or additions with respect to the amino acid sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:8 and is at least 95.0% identical to the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8, wherein the antibody competes forbinding to human or mouse cells with the antibody produced by ATCCAccession No. PTA-8932 or with an antibody having a light chain variabledomain amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6 and a heavychain variable domain amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 8;(b) an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a variable domain of anantibody wherein the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleotidesequence that is at least 98% identical to the nucleotide sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO: 14, and wherein the antibodycompetes for binding to human or mouse cells with the antibody producedby ATCC Accession No. PTA-8932 or with an antibody having a light chainvariable domain amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6 and aheavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ IDNO: 8; (c) an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an antibodycomprising a light chain variable domain comprising the amino acidsequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:6, and a heavy chain variable domaincomprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:8; (d) thenucleic acid molecule of any of subparts (a), (b) or (c) wherein saidnucleic acid further encodes a light chain constant domain amino acidsequence that is at least 80.0% identical to the amino acid sequence setforth in SEQ ID NO:7, and heavy chain constant domain CH1, CH2, CH3 andCH4 sequences that are at least 80.0% identical to SEQ ID NO:9, SEQ IDNO:10, SEQ ID NO:11 and SEQ ID NO:12, respectively; and (e) an isolatednucleic acid molecule encoding an antibody wherein the sequence encodingthe light chain variable domain comprises the nucleic acid sequence setout in SEQ ID NO:13and the sequence encoding the heavy chain variabledomain comprises the nucleic acid sequence set out in SEQ ID NO:14; anda pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.